One Small Word

Daniel listened politely as his elderly neighbor chatted with him and his mom in the front yard. "You and my grandson Benjamin would get along so well together," Mrs. Crane was saying. "He really enjoys skateboarding. And did I tell you that he plays basketball?"Daniel nodded. "And that he's in my grade in school, and that he has a baseball card collection."Mrs. Crane smiled and nodded. "I really hope the two of you get a chance to meet sometime."After Mrs. Crane left, Daniel turned to his mom. "Mrs. Crane is always telling me about her grandson. I must know just about everything there is to know about him. He sounds like a nice guy, but I'm getting pretty tired of hearing about him. I wish she'd either introduce us or forget the whole thing."The next Saturday, it happened. The doorbell rang, and there was Mrs. Crane and a boy about Daniel's age. "Hi, Daniel," said Mrs. Crane. "This is Benjamin, my grandson." She smiled at Benjamin. "And this is Daniel."Benjamin was visiting his grandmother for a week, so the boys played together often and had a great time."I'm glad Mrs. Crane finally introduced Benjamin and me," Daniel told his parents one day. "I knew all about him for a long time, but now I actually know him."Mom nodded. "You can 'know about,' or you can 'know.' The elimination of one small word makes a lot of difference, doesn't it?" "It's like that when it comes to Jesus too," Dad said. "Some people know about Him, but they don't know Him personally.""I often think of that at this time of year," said Mom. "Many people have heard the Christmas story over and over. But knowing about Jesus isn't enough. It's as useless as knowing about Benjamin without being able to meet him.""Yeah," said Daniel. "I was really tired of hearing Mrs. Crane talk about him! Knowing somebody personally is so much better than just hearing about them. I'm glad I know Benjamin now, and I'm especially glad I know Jesus." –Hazel W. Marett