When Romello Early saw that one of his classmates at Buffalo Creek Academy was being bullied because of his shoes, he was overcome with emotion. Bryant Brown, dean of culture at Buffalo Creek, said, "When you come to school, people look at your shoes before they even look at your face.”

But Early didn’t like that. And when his mother came home from work, he told her so. He said, “Mom, you can take away anything you're getting me for Christmas, or you could take my allowance, I just want to get him some shoes. Nobody deserves to get put down based on a pair of shoes that he's going to eventually grow out of.”

Early’s mom was so moved by her son’s compassion that she granted his request. And the next day, Early presented seventh-grader Melvin Anderson with a bright orange box with two brand new Nike shoes in his size. Early had purchased the shoes with $135 he’d already saved up. He said, “It made me feel happy to see that big smile on his face.”

When Brown saw Anderson smiling with his new box of shoes, and Early smiling right next to him, he felt moved to take a photo. The photo eventually went viral and inspired a ton of local goodwill. The two boys, their parents, and the school dean eventually did a segment on a local TV news affiliate. Both boys were surprised with a series of gifts, including local Buffalo Bills NFL swag, a Playstation 5, and of course, two more pairs of sneakers.

Possible Preaching Angle:

When we operate in generosity we demonstrate the love of God, not only to those whom we bless directly but for a wider watching community.