| The Wee Bitty Coat
One particular story springs to mind every time I think of Christmas. We were still living in the Chicago-land area at the time and, as was our usual Christmas custom, our ministry had collected a great many Christmas presents for the families living in the hills and hollers of McCreary County, Kentucky. A family we knew had also given us a number of boxes of winter clothing- gloves, mittens, hats and a great many coats.
I left Downers Grove on a beautiful snowy morning in early December and navigated the slippery roads to what would one day become my home in the hills of Kentucky. Of course, my main focus was on getting the brightly colored gifts I carried into the hands of the many families we had sponsored, so I left the delivery of the clothing items until the last few hours of my visit, dropping the boxes off at the small "thrift store" which we often support. Local families, who find themselves in need, can purchase certain items for very little money at this store, or even receive them free if they truly can't pay for them. As I dropped the last box of clothing on the floor of the shop, the director- a kindly woman named Vergie- asked me, "Do you have any small coats in there? I mean really small!" I hadn't checked the sizes before we left, so I told her I really didn't know, but it appeared that most of the coats were for older kids and adults,
Vergie related a situation she said had replayed itself time and again over the past month. Each day that the shop was open, a young boy, dressed in a greatly oversized and ragged jacket, would stop in with the same question; "Do you have any 'wee bitty' coats?" Vergie would smile gently at the boy, knowing the poverty which the family lives in, and reply, "No honey, not yet." The youngster would force a little grin and say, "That's OK. I'll check back again later." Vergie knew that coats small enough to fit this little man seldom found there way into her store, at least not in very good condition. True to his word, the boy would reappear at the shop each day with the same question. "Do you have any 'wee bitty' coats today?"
Vergie's story warmed my heart, but I knew the family who had donated the clothing and there were no little children in their home. I told her that I hadn't checked the sizes, but it wouldn't surprise me to find a new coat, in just the right size and just the right color, sitting in one of the boxes. I shared with her my belief that that is the nature of our God Who loves us; a Father who knows the desires of a little boy's heart and wants to satisfy them. I thought only briefly about driving all the way to Tennessee to buy a coat for the lad, considering the long drive and little time I had left. I departed the thrift store and went to a local restaurant for a bite to eat, fully intending to get on the road shortly after and head home to Illinois. But all during my meal the story I had heard replayed in my mind. After eating dinner I returned to the thrift store to find out what size coat the little boy needed.
As I entered the shop I saw Vergie standing in the middle of the pile of boxes, fresh tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. She shared with me that before she could begin to open the many boxes I had brought, the same little boy entered her store with the same question still in his mind. "Do you have any 'wee bitty' coats?" In faith, she opened the first box which lay before her. There, sitting right on top, was..... of course..... a 'wee bitty' coat… in just the right size and just the right color. She shared the love of Christmas with the youngster and wept at God's goodness.
(This may sound like a nice fictional account. Please believe me, this is a true story. This was one of the best Christmas presents I could have ever received.) 12/1/02
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