Chapter 19
Christmas
On Christmas Eve, Piper and Nick attended the Fellowship Church for one of its Christmas Eve services. Thousands of tiny white lights dotted the walls of the cozy church, appearing as a constellation in the sky. As expected, the congregation was jubilant as they celebrated the birth of the Savior. Songs such as “Joy to the World” were belted out in glory and praise. The music was riveting, full of happiness and joy. When the songs ended, the pastor stood up and shared the following story with the congregation:
“There was once a very wealthy old man who lived in a mansion, which was adorned with all sorts of expensive items. Exquisite pictures and paintings lined the walls, fine furniture filled the rooms, and fancy decorations were placed all about. The wealthy man had but one son and the son joined the military. He died soon afterwards, while serving in the war, which greatly saddened the old man.
One day, a friend of the young man who died came to the house of the old man. He carried with him a portrait of the old man’s son, which he had painted himself. He told the old man that he had served with the son in the war, and that the son died while trying to protect him. The portrait was his way to remember the love the son had shown for him. He gave the portrait to the old man, who thanked him.
The quality of the portrait wasn’t to the old man’s usual standards, quite unlike the portraits he had purchased in the past. Yet something about the picture was unique and precious. Something seemed real about the way the friend had portrayed his son’s eyes. They were exactly as the old man had remembered. He hung the portrait in a very prominent place in the home, just above the mantle of a fireplace.
A few years passed before the old man died. With no other family members to inherit his wealth, he had directed that an auction be held. The first item to be auctioned was the portrait of his son. People came from all around to the auction, anxiously anticipating the opportunity to purchase some valuable items. When the auctioneer held up the portrait, no one bid on it. He called out again and a little old lady who worked as a maid in the old man’s home bid on the portrait. She gave all that she could afford, which was $50. Since no one else bid any higher, the portrait went to the lady.
The auctioneer then announced that the auction was over. People were shocked, asking about all of the other items in the home and about the home itself. ‘It’s over. You see, the will said that ‘everything goes to the person who purchases the picture of my son.’”
Piper looked at Nick to gauge his thoughts. He turned to her and winked with a slight smile. She winked back and smiled.
The pastor then called for a prayer in which he asked the congregation to ask Jesus to come into their hearts. She closed her teary eyes and prayed.
Please Lord, bless us with children. Please Lord. Please.
No other present she would receive that Christmas would compare to that Christmas present. She wanted nothing more than a child.
The pastor closed the prayers with the announcement that the church was in the final stage of selecting a new youth pastor. After a year of searching, the church leaders had identified several potential pastors whose purpose would be to help grow the congregation. Piper looked forward to meeting the new pastor. A new perspective on the scriptures can be enlightening.
Exiting the church was practically impossible, as cars were stuffed into every corner of the parking lot. Nick and Piper sat in their SUV for what seemed like an hour waiting for the car line to move. Neither said much, which gave Piper time to reflect on the service and her life with Nick.
She recalled the times before they were married, when they would sit in his family room in silence reading books and enjoying each other’s company. Chipper was always cuddled up next to them.
“Chipper,” Piper said. “I loved that dog. Nick, what do you think of getting another dog? I miss Chipper. That could take our minds off of having children.”
“I don’t want to take our minds off of having children. That’s all I think about Piper. You know, I’ve been giving this issue a lot of thought. We don’t need to have our own children. If God doesn’t bless us that way, we should consider adopting kids. We could be good parents to a few of the kids at the Collins Foster Home. What do you think of that?”
“I think we’ve already adopted all of them and have watched so many grow up. I think if we adopted just two or three, the others we know so well would feel slighted.”
“Piper, I hadn’t thought of it that way.” Nick paused. “We’ll need to think about things. It’s not like we’re in a rush. We’re only 29. We have plenty of time to either have our own kids or adopt kids.”
“That’s true. Only 29.”
“Piper, I agree with you. We should get another dog. I miss Chipper too.”
“Dogs are living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy and feel loved,” Piper added.
Nick chuckled. “So true!”
Eyes on the Unseen Prize Page 43
