Quiet Talks on ServiceGordon, S. D. (Samuel Dickey)
Religion
Quiet Talks on Service
Gordon, S. D. (Samuel Dickey)
Christian life
She had listened to the sermon, and her heart had been strangely warmed by
the preacher's story of need. And as he was finishing she was thinking,
"How I wish I might give something. But I haven't anything to give, not
even a copper left." And a very soft voice within seemed to say very
softly, but very distinctly, "There are your crutches." "Oh," she gasped
to herself as though it took away her very breath, "my crutches? I
couldn't give my _crutches_; they're my _life_." And that strangely clear
voice went on, so quietly, "Yes--you _could_--and then some one would know
of Jesus--if you did--and that would mean so much to them--He's meant so
much to you--give your crutches." And her breath seemed to fail her at the
thought. And so the little woman had her fight all unseen and unknown by
those in the church. And by and by the victory came. And she sat with a
beautiful light in her tearful eyes, and a smile coming to her lips,
waiting for the plate to get to her pew.
And the man with the plate came down the aisle to the end. It seemed
hardly worth while reaching it into the last pew. Just little Maggie
sitting there alone, with her one foot dangling above the floor. But with
fine courtesy he stopped and passed the plate in. And Maggie in her
childlike simplicity lifted her crutches, and tried rather awkwardly to
put them on the collection plate. Quick as a flash the man caught her
thought, and with a queer lump in his throat reached out and steadied her
strange gift on the plate.
And then he turned back and walked slowly up the aisle toward the pulpit,
carrying the plate in one hand and steadying the crutches on it with the
other. And people commenced to look. And eyes quickly dimmed. Everybody
knew the crutches. _Maggie_--giving her _crutches_! And the banker over
here blew his nose suddenly and reached for his pencil, and the merchant
reached out to stop the man returning up his aisle.
As the pastor stood with his eyesight not very clear to receive the
morning's offering, he said, "Surely our little crippled friend is giving
us a wonderful example." Then the plates were called back toward the
pews. And somebody paid fifty dollars for the crutches, and sent them back
to that end pew. When the offering was counted up it contained several
hundred dollars. And the little girl, crippled in body but not in any
other way, hobbled out of church the happiest little woman in the world.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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