BY CAROL PEAVEY

HE VISITORS CAME TO THE DOOR with a huge box.

"Do you have a place we can set this? We have a couple more boxes in the car."

They disappeared out into the cold. Three more boxes of food appeared, and then they were gone.

We said thank you again and again. The kids were so excited! We had been living on pancakes with applesauce, and rice and potatoes we had gleaned in the fall for several weeks. We now had four boxes of food.

The boxes included a couple loaves of bread, peanut butter, jam, margarine, celery, onions, carrots, potatoes, rice, a few grapefruit and bananas, lots of canned goods, and a bag of Chinese noodles. What fun we had unloading all those goodies!

I had already cooked rice for supper, so the Chinese noodles would be a treat. I opened the bag and thought they smelled strange. I tasted one. Yuk. Stale. Oh, well, it was free, and it was better then plain rice again. We ate them and pretended we were prisoners of war and just got a bonus with our rice gruel, and thanked God it wasn't grubs or worms.

After supper I started placing the cans into our cabinets. Some of the cans looked very old and dented, and I wondered if they would be good to eat. I tossed the can with the swollen lid into the garbage. I felt a little embarrassed. Not for the fact that we had received the food or that it was a church family that had shared with us; I felt embarrassed to think that possibly some of the other people they were sharing these boxes with had received the same kinds of things: stale, outdated, or dented.

What kind of witness was this presenting? To give of our old and unwanted?

What kind of love was that showing? That they were better than we were? That we were poor, so that made us fit for food that should be thrown away?

We were very grateful; please don't get me wrong. Much of it was very good food, and we were thankful. It just would have been nice not to have stale, dented, or outdated food given to us. I felt that perhaps I was inferior, a little less human.

Over the next month I threw out more than several cans. I didn't want to risk our health over old, outdated cans of green beans and corn. I prayed that if I ever ended up in a position to be sharing something with someone else, I would always remember this experience and would give only the very best that I had. Isn't that, after all, what being Christlike is all about? He gave His very best.

We Are Thankful
We have received many food boxes over the years at various times. They have come with many different food items in them. All have been appreciated. I don't want anyone to think we were never grateful. Even the cans given to us with the mouse poop on the tops were washed with bleach and used. It just would have been nice if the givers considered us worthy of washing off the poop themselves.

We received another gift of food. We heard a knock on the door. One of the kids went to the front door and opened it. No one was there. We looked out the back door, and there were boxes of food and Christmas presents for the kids from the door clear over to the gate at the side of the yard. A Christmas tree, too! I think those boxes contained a bit of everything. The gift was from someone who gave from their heart. It wasn't old, or dented, or outdated. It was truly an unselfish gift of love. It had the basics, a few extras, some money, something special for the kids. What a blessing! I did not feel I was a little less or beneath. Though in need, I was an equal. The hardest part was that it was anonymous. I think I know who it was and would love to tell them how much that meant to us, and that it is a wonderful memory. If you are the ones and are reading this, know that we have tried to do the same ourselves and pass on the blessing to others.

It's About Respect
Helping supply someone with food is not the time to preach what you think they should eat. It is a time to help to supply them with what they would eat and need. Love them for who they are, not for what they do or don't do, eat or don't eat. Show them God's unconditional love and total acceptance. They are people, not charity cases. Treat them with respect. Respect them enough to give your very best.

_________________________
Carol Peavey writes from Sprague, Washington.