Nanny Merry: or, What Made the Difference? — John Shaqi
Nanny Merry: or, What Made the Difference?Anonymous
Religion
Nanny Merry: or, What Made the Difference?
Anonymous
Christian life -- Juvenile fiction
"No; I never asked him. I asked him to make me patient to bear it. You
think it's dreadful, Nannie, to be blind, and I used to think so too.
But God never takes anything from us without giving us something else to
make up for it. You think I sit in the dark always; but it isn't dark,
Nannie; it's all light--a light brighter than the sun: it's the light
of heaven; I see it constantly. It isn't only those that live in heaven
that can say they have no need of the sun or moon, for the Lamb is their
light: I can say it too.--Yes," she went on, more to herself than
Nannie,--"yes, dear Saviour, thou art my light."
Nannie sat looking wonderingly at the wrinkled old face, so happy and
peaceful, and at the withered hands folded so quietly, and thought she
did not understand it then. Many years after, when she too was old, did
she remember that peaceful face and those folded hands, and say in the
midst of trial and sorrow,--
"Yes, dear Saviour, thou art my light!"
"I have thought sometimes," grannie went on, "that heaven will be
pleasanter to me, for not seeing here. Think how new it will all be
there! People that have always had their sight only see something
different when they go to heaven; but I haven't seen anything for ten
years. Just think what it will be to me to see those beautiful things
you read about!"
"What are they, Nannie?"
Nannie said, "Golden streets, gates of pearl, the tree of life, the wall
of jasper. I don't remember any more."
"And Jesus, Nannie; you don't forget him? Think of these poor blind eyes,
that have seen nothing for so long, opening at last upon _his_ face! I
love to think of those blind people Jesus healed, and think that he was
the first thing they saw."
Then Nannie read on: _"Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God
is merciful. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt
bountifully with thee."_
Just as she finished, there was a knock at the door; and who should it
be but Dr. Merry, with two pies for grannie, and the horse and gig to
take Nannie home. And soon Nannie was lying on the couch by the bright
dining-room fire, while mother, and Mary, and Belle, and Charlie all
crowded round, asking how she felt.
"Oh, well enough," said Nannie, as sister Mary took off the warm hood,
and kissed the dear face inside of it. "I hope it will stop aching in
time for me to go to church."
"To church!" said Dr. Merry, looking up from his book; "no church for
Nannie to-day."
Nannie said nothing, but turned her head away to hide the tears, while
sister Mary, stooping down and kissing her, said, "Never mind; you
couldn't walk there, you know."
Afterwards, when no one was in the room except her father, she reached
over to the table for the Bible, and found the psalm they had read that
morning. Pointing with her finger to the last two verses, she said,
"Father, please read that."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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