Text: 1 Corinthians 13; John
15:13; Isaiah 53:1-12
Mr. James Dillingham ("Young
Jim") and his wife, Della, are a couple living in a modest apartment. They
have only two possessions between them in which they take pride: Della's
beautiful long, flowing hair, almost to her knees, and Jim's shiny gold watch,
which had belonged to his father and grandfather.
On Christmas Eve, with only $1.87
in hand, and desperate to find a gift for Jim, Della sells her hair for $20 to
a nearby hairdresser named Madame Sofronie, and eventually finds a platinum
pocket watch fob chain for Jim's watch for $21. Satisfied with the perfect gift
for Jim, Della runs home and begins to prepare pork chops for dinner.
At 7 o'clock, Della sits at a table near the door, waiting for Jim to come home. Unusually late, Jim walks in and immediately stops short at the sight of Della, who had previously prayed that she was still pretty to Jim.
Della then admits to Jim that she
sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present – an
assortment of expensive hair accessories (referred to as “The Combs”), useless
now that her hair is short. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him,
to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her combs.
Although Jim and Della are now
left with gifts that neither one can use, they realize how far they are willing
to go to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really
is.
This evergreen story by William
Sydney Porter in “The Gift of the Magi” holds the fact that nothing beats the practicality
and power of love. Love that’s genuine, unprejudiced and undiluted is beautiful
and knows no bound. Such did our Lord Jesus evinced at the Cross of Calvary.
Though, Jim and Della displayed
love that “bears all things and seeks not her own”, the love of Christ
surpasses it all. He gave His life that we might be saved while we were yet
sinners (Romans 5:8). “He was bruised for our iniquities; He carried our
sorrows, He was despised and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:3).
Love is only meaningful when not
in words but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). “And now abideth faith, hope,
love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
*** Story from “The Gift of the Magi”
by William Sydney Porter ***
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