An Undeserved Gift

(written December 25, 2007)


Just another typical day at Dillard's. It was a Tuesday and I was working behind the watches counter. The buzz of Christmas was in full swing...customers hussling in and out...purchasing, returning, re-purchasing.

"Excuse me, can I look at this watch?" I pulled out the petite gold watch for the tall, dark-haired gentelman. He asked me to model it on my wrist.

"I'll take it. This one's for my wife. But I want to buy some more."

So I pulled out another. And another. And another. I asked him if all these gifts were for his family. He told me that the other watches he needed were for the people that worked for him. He explained that he owned a car dealership in Texas, and had to fly out to AZ once a week for the car auctions. He wanted to get watches for his top sellers. He looked down through the glass case, asking me to pull out the ones that caught his eye. He picked out three men's watches and three more ladies' watches. Again, he asked me to model the ladies' watches on my wrist. Of the three ladies' watches he selected, he asked which one I liked the best. I pointed to the brown one. Then he commented on my empty, watchless wrist.

"Now why aren't you wearing a watch? Don't you like watches?"

"Oh I do. I just don't have one right now."

$600 later, he was ready to pay. I rang him up, boxed the watches, gave him the limited-waranty mumbo jumbo spiel, and handed him his merchandise. Then he said,

"You know what, I'm sorry Kayleen. But I forgot I still need to get one more....can you pull out another brown watch?" So I pulled out the watch, rang it up, and handed him a second bag with the brown watch inside. Then he took the bag, pulled out the box with the watch inside, and set it on the counter, pushing it toward me.

"Now, this stays here. Cut the price tag off, because this one's for you. Thanks for all your help. Have a Merry Christmas."

The following thoughts ran through my head, all at once: Oh my gosh, is he serious?! This has never happened before. This is an $80 watch! I can't accept it. What am I supposed to do? We're not even allowed to accept tips here. Surely we're not allowed to accept GIFTS. I could get fired for this! But really, what a nice thing to do.

These thoughts ran through my head within a nanosecond, but what actually came out of my mouth was far more incomprehensive:

"No, no, sir! I can't accept---I mean---I shouldn't---we're not allowed to---I mean---I appreciate it---but we just can't..."

He smiled, nodded, and began to walk away. At last, I finally blurted out a "Thank you very much. Merry Christmas!" He turned back around one more time and smiled, and left the store.

It's interesting how we react to an unexpected, unwarranted, undeserved gift. Like when someone you hardly know gives you a Christmas gift you weren't expecting---all you really think is, "Well gosh, I've never done anything for them, and I didn't get them a gift. I don't deserve this at all." We feel sheepish and undeserving.

That day I left the store with an undeserved watch on my wrist and a smile in my heart, empty-wristed no more.

May you take a moment to reflect on the perfect, most undeserved gift that any of us have ever recieved: God's only Son, Jesus Christ. And Merry Christmas to you.