Freddy’s Gift

by Mrs. Johnson’s Class with Kim Harms

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,

for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

“Holy cow! We got presents,” said Freddy. His family’s house burned down along with all of their Christmas gifts two weeks before Christmas, and they didn’t have enough money to buy new gifts.

Freddy looked at the gift tag on an enormous red and green box and saw it was from Mrs. Johnson’s third-grade class at Ballard East Elementary School.

“Why did the third-graders buy me a gift?” he asked his grandma, whom his family now lived with.

“Their teacher heard about your house fire, and when she told her class, they wanted to help. They pooled their money together and went shopping for you,” she said.

“Cheerful givers,” Freddy said and smiled. “Mrs. Smith just talked at Kid’s Club Sunday night about how much God loves it when we give to others. When I can save enough money, I’m going to buy a gift for someone who needs one, too. I want to make someone else as happy as Mrs. Johnson’s class has made me.”

The budding writers in Mrs. Johnson’s third-grade class at Ballard Elementary School in Cambridge, Iowa wrote this devotion with some guidance from Kim Harms of Huxley, Iowa.  They are a very generous class and a Christmas giving project inspired their devotion idea. Kim’s writing can be found at www.kimharms.net.