"Every man according as he
purposeth in his heart,
so let him give;
not grudgingly, or of
necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful
giver."
2Corinthians 9:7
Margaret's
Crutches
One day a
minister received a request from a missionary society
to preach a missionary sermon to be followed by a
collection for a certain field. The minister put his
whole heart and soul into the effort, encouraging
people to give cheerfully for the Lord's work.
After the
sermon, the collection basket was passed as usual; but
the minister watched the result with depressed
feelings as only small amounts were dropped in.
Evidently his words had not reached the hearts of his
hearers. He noticed that those who were well able to
give kept looking at the time, anxious to be out and
about other things.
On the last
bench, in the meantime, a battle was waging in the
breast of a poorly clad girl. Through an accident, she
had become lame. She could not take a step without
assistance. One day a kind lady procured a pair of
crutches for her, and since then her life had been
much happier. This Sunday she ventured for the first
time to come to church. What a great blessing it was
to able to listen to the Gospel once more!
As the usher
came near with the basket, Margaret said to herself
with a sad heart, "I have nothing to give ~ not a cent ~ and there in
a foreign land the missionaries are expecting out
gifts; they need so much to carry on their work. Oh,
what can I do?" These thoughts went through her mind
and made her shudder. "My new crutches could be sold
for a sum of money, but I cannot spare them; I must
have them; they are my very life."
"Yes,
your life," said a voice within; but
did not Christ give His life for you? If you give what
is your life, some poor souls in Africa will hear that
He is their Savior, too. Oh, if only you would!"
Finally a shine came over her face. She
pressed a kiss on the crutches and waited with a
beating heart.
The collection
basket came to where Margaret sat. The usher knew her
well. He gave a friendly nod and was about to pass on.
To his astonishment, she made an effort to lay the
crutches on the basket. The elderly man grasped the
situation, took the crutches out of hands, put them on
the basket and carried them slowly down the aisle,
laying them without a word on the altar.
Everyone
watched him in breathless suspense. They all knew the
little girl, and may eyes filled with tears. The
minister, deeply affected, laid his hand on the
crutches and repeated solemnly the words of Jesus:
"She hath done what she
could."
What a stir this
incident made in the meeting! Suddenly the
perspiration came on the banker's brow, and he wiped
his face with his hankerchief and pulled out his
pocketbook. The rich lady fumbled about for her purse.
The rich merchant whispered something in the ear of
the usher, who passed the collection basket once more
from bench to bench. This time money came like
raindrops.
Quietly and
solemnly the people left the church. One lady stepped
up to Margaret and gave her back her new crutches. She
had redeemed them for the benefit of the missionaries
for the sum of one hundred dollars.
The happy girl
returned home little realizing how much she had done
that day for her Master.
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. . . and a child shall
lead them!
"Create in me a clean
heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Psalm 51:10
Serving in Love,
Sandy
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