A CHRISTMAS STORY (DECEMBER 2015)

"...and a Child shall lead them."

 From Mad World:

A little South Carolina boy dressed in his finest holiday attire, with his hair parted just right,anxiously awaited his mall meeting with Santa. The boy had a special request in mind that had been weighing on his heart, and all he wants for Christmas this year is for St. Nick to fix it. By the end of his petition for a different kind of present, there was not a dry eye in the shopping center.

Prestyn Barnette is a particularly observant child who doesn’t just see and hear things that happen around him, he takes them to heart. For several days, he had been going about his childhood routine, while also being bogged down with something that had come to his attention about another child several states away.

According to WISTV, the 4-year-old heard about a baby in need in Las Vegas, Nevada, who had been mentioned in an online prayer group his grandmother belongs to. Two-month-old Knox Joseph is in a Nevada hospital fighting for his life right now, after his father found the infant unresponsive in his crib just two weeks ago. Prestyn doesn’t know Knox, but he requested something special for this baby, in addition to a miracle to get him healthy.

Prestyn got his chance to ask for something specific for Knox from the bearded man in the big red suit at Dutch Square Mall. After telling him that he would like a Lionel train set, he asked Santa to pray with him for baby Knox, who needed their help right now, more than he needed any gifts. Santa didn’t brush of the request as just another child’s babble, and he granted his wish right then and there with a long line of people watching.

The mall Santa got down on one knee next to Prestyn, who did the same in front of the man’s velvet throne. He held the child’s hand, and the two prayed together for this baby in a different part of the country, whom neither have met and likely never would.

This thoughtful little boy could have taken this opportunity to list off all the fun toys his heart desires, but instead he thought of someone else who needed more than a fast race car or fuzzy teddy bear. At just 4-years-old, he know more than most adults when it comes to compassion and putting the needs of others before his own. Whoever raised this child, did it right, and they have given the world a gift by bringing him up to be such a selfless person.