Christmas in January

As I was looking through my list of TiVo'd tv shows after watching a disappointing episode of Smash Lab (episode 3), I came across last December's First Presidency Christmas Devotional. From this, two comments stuck with me: one from President Thomas S. Monson and the other from President Gordon B. Hinckley.

President Monson told a story of a Christmas when he was little. His Mom had given him a rather expensive electric train set and he was very excited; it was just what he wanted. His Mom had also bought a wind-up train set for an underprivileged boy; it was a lot cheaper, but it had an oil tanker car that little Tommy Monson's train set didn't have. He begged his Mom to let him have the car. Reluctantly his Mom gave in and let Tommy have the car. They took train set, one car down, over to the boy who loved the train set too. He was unaware of the missing oil car. However, Tommy's conscience soon overcame him and he told his Mom to wait as he ran back to get the boy's oil car; he also grabbed a car from his more expensive train and gave them both to the boy. "The feelings I experienced as I watched his added joy are difficult to describe, yet absolutely impossible to forget." He said he learned that true happiness only comes from making other people happy

It's a simple story, but it stuck with me, probably because it was so simple. It is a concrete example of what the Savior meant when he said that we must become as little children.

President Hinckley's was really only two sentences, I quote them entirely: "How grateful I am for the kindness of people toward me. I frequently think what a different world this would be if all people were treated as well as I am." This shows true humility: he knows his place in this world and that it garners kinder treatment from others. But he also remembers that Christ once said that if ye have done it unto one of the the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.