Article came from here: http://www.briomag.com/briomagazine/soulfood/A0006612.html
Chad felt as though he were the most awkward kid in his entire third-grade class. He was skinny and shy and didn't know quite how to make friends. But with Valentine's day approaching, he announced an idea to his mom. “It's only three days away,” he said. “And I want to make a Valentine for every kid in my class. I'm gonna buy the best stuff I can find. I'll use the money I was saving for new bicycle tires.”
His mom's heart sank, because she was afraid he'd put everything he had into this project and not get much in return. But she didn't want to drain her son of his new- found excitement, so she took him to the store. Chad bought bright red construction paper, colored glitter, paste, markers, stickers and huge envelopes.
During the next couple of days, he spent nearly every waking hour on creating big, beautiful and personalized Valentines for every student in his class. Finally the big day arrived. He was too excited to eat breakfast. He gathered his stash under his arms and headed off to school.
Around 2:30 p.m., his mom decided to bake fresh peanut butter cookies-Chad's favorite-and them ready and warm when he arrived home from school. I know it'll be a tough day for him, she thought. He's worked so hard on these Valentines, and he'll probably only get a handful in return. His heart will be broken.
At 2:50 p.m., she looked out the kitchen window and saw five third-grade boys laughing and showing their Valentines to each other as they walked home. About a hundred yards behind, walked Chad. Alone. His head was down, and his hand clutched one crumpled Valentine.
His head's down, he's walking faster than normal, and he's about to cry, his mom thought. I'll meet him at the door with a plate of his favorite cookies and a glass of cold milk. That will make him feel better.
She opened the front door, and Chad ran right past her. “Mom!” he screamed.
“Honey, I'm right here.”
“Mom,” he said, trying to catch his breath as he spun around. “Mom, there were 32 kids in our class-not counting me-and I made 32 Valentines. I had a Valentine for every single kid. I didn't forget anyone, Mom! I gave each kid a Valenine!”
She glanced at his hand and noticed his only Valentine was a duplicate the teacher had made for the entire class. Chad was so focused on making sure everyone around him got a piece of his heart, he hadn't even noticed he wasn't loved in return.
Tears fell down his mom's face as she prayed, “Oh, Father! Make me more concerned with the needs of others than my own.”
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Love isn't always easy. Jesus loved, and it cost Him his life. Are you willing to pay the price to love as Jesus loved? If so, you may not be loved in return. But there's not a better idea in the world than to give your heart away. Not just today . . . but every day for the rest of your life. That's right-make loving others part of your lifestyle.
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