Down From His Glory

Down From His Glory

Henry Carter was working feverishly trying to prepare
something fresh for his Christmas sermon when he was
disturbed by a knock on his study door. It was the dorm
mother of the church's home for disturbed children.
There was a crisis upstairs with one of the boys. Most
of the boys go home for Christmas and only a few were
left behind and were feeling very much abandoned and
unloved.

Henry reluctantly followed the dorm mother up the
stairs to the small dormitory, chafing inwardly at yet
another interruption. This time it was Tommy. He had
crawled under his bed and refused to come out. The
woman pointed to one of the beds. Not even a toe
showed, so Henry addressed the cowboys and bucking
broncos on the bedspread. He told them of the
beautifully decorated Christmas tree with all the
presents in the church next door--and how there was a
special present for Tommy.

Tommy was not impressed and continued to "play dead."

Henry's frustration increased as he knelt down on all
fours and lifted the bedspread. As he peered under the
bed his eyes met two enormous blue eyes--expressing the
fear and pain Tommy was experiencing. Henry could have
easily pulled little eight-year-old-looking-like-a-
five-year-old child from under the bed, but he knew
that this wouldn't help. It was trust, not coercion,
that Tommy needed--plus he needed to make the decision
to come out by himself. So Henry tried as best he could
to get Tommy excited about the special Christmas supper
to be offered after the service, the wonderful
presents, and the stocking filled with magnificent
Christmas gifts with Tommy's name on it.

All to no avail.

So what else could Henry do? He got down on his stomach
and wriggled himself under the bed to lay with his
cheek pressed into the floor beside Tommy.

After a while Henry said, "You know, Tommy, it's pretty
uncomfortable under here. Let's you and me go where we
can stand up."

Ever so slowly they did.

Henry had no more worries about finding a Christmas
message.

  -- Source Unknown