While working in the Children’s Ministry, we were taking auditions for a play we would be doing at the Christmas Holiday. We were a very small size church of approx, 60-75 regular members. Three girls always stood out of place. Their grandmother brought them to church. They were not particularly pretty nor did they have stylish clothes. They were always clean and neat and always had kind words. However, when you passed them they would always look away or down at their feet. My heart just wanted to wrap my arms around them and hold them tight. They were very shy and reserved.
They all attended the Children’s Ministry. Two other girls in our ministry, just ruled over everyone, including the boys. These three girls were in the fifth grade. This would be their last year with us in the Children’s Ministry then they would move on up.
I will change their names to Rose, Mary and Ruth. Rose and Mary sang duets together in church, were popular not only in our small congregation but in their schools and neighborhoods as well. Ruth wanted to try out for the part but was intimidated. In fact, the other three workers on our committee were going to assign parts without anyone trying out. Since I was fairly new in the church I brought a different perspective to the committee.
In a meeting, I told them I would like for us to try Ruth. ”She will work great, as she already has so much in common with the character.” So we had her try out for the part. Here was a young girl, whose family life was not good at all. She did not own pretty things or have her own room. She was downcast, lonley and wanted to belong. Her hair was dull and lifeless and hung down her tall frame. Could she play the part, wouldn’t the other girls do a better job? But…who could best identify with the character in which they were playing?
Now the character in our play was a homely orphan girl, named Michele, who also wanted to fit in with the church kids. In an effort to do so at the Christmas party, she gave the girl whose name she had drawn; her old stuffed lamb. Now this was a great gift from her heart. She had asked God what to give as she only had her lamb. That is all she had, since she was an infant, to hold her in the night and play with her during the day. She had not known her parents’ love. Michele cried and said “No! Lord, don’t ask this of me!” However, she knew the best gift she could give was the gift she loved the most – her little lamb. When the gift was opened at the Sunday School Christmas Party, all of the kids laughed at her. The girl receiving the gift threw it down and said, “look what a dirty, cheap gift Michele gave me.”
Now, both stories end well. Ruth got the part in our play and did a magnificent part! We had to work on her voice volume but solved it with the placement of mikes. Ruth blossomed after that. The other two girls went on and never went to college, both had children out of wedlock. Ruth went to college, worked her way through and became a RN and is now married.
The girl in our play, Michele, being totally devastated, leaves the party sobbing. How could they treat her little lamb, the only one who has ever loved her. Her precious lamb was thrown down on the floor and laughed at. She runs back to the orphange, falling down as the tears blind her eyes. Once she gets to the large room that housed all the girls, she flings herself across her bed crying.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones, the teachers at the party, asked everyone to quiet down. They went on to tell them that every one had received such nice fine gifts. But the greatest gift that was given was the “little dirty white lamb.” This lamb was the only thing Michele had to play with. Michele had given her very best, what meant the most to her in her life. She sacrificed the only comfort and love she received.
Soon, there was a knock on Michele’s door. Every one was down at supper and she couldn’t think why anyone would knock on the dorm room door. At the door stood the little girl she had given the gift. Michele asked “What do you want?” Then in a still small voice this little girl gave Michele’s lamb back to her and thanked her for sharing the best gift she had ever received. “I think he got so lonley that he wanted to come home.”
This little girl had realized that she had received the best gift in the world – a lamb that was sacrificed by someone who really loved her. This is what God did in sending us his lamb that was sacrificed. Jesus willingly gave up his life so that we would belong together in the family of God. What happened to these two girls? Well, joining hands, they went back to the party and grew up as best friends.
Rick Warren, In the Purpose Driven Life, (Chapter 17, A Place to Belong) discusses how we all want to have a place to belong. “The Bible says, as believers, we are put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together and held together and best of all we will be caught up together.” Don’t miss one of the purposes of your life by not being attached to a living, local church. “We discover our role in life through our relationships with others.”
