Martha S. Hooker
Consider the Lilies
“Oooh!” said Penny, “It’s just like a story! Then what happened?" “The little bulbs just waited for the light. Then one day they broke the walls and came out to meet the sun." Ernestina stroked a waxy blos som. “Isn’t it a beautiful thing to have come out of a hole in the earth?" she asked. “Well, the Lord Jesus Himself came out of a dark prison, too, at Easter time," Penny reminded her friend. Ernestina nodded. “Yes, and every one of us comes out of a dark place, too.” “What do you mean, Ernestina?" “Oh, God’s light in the Bible shows us we are sinners, and that we need Jesus as-our Saviour. So when we accept Him, we come out of the dark ness of sin.” “Oh, I know that! Go on, Ernes tina!” "There’s one more thing about the lilies—that’s their mission.” “What do you mean—mission? You sound like our preacher!" Ernestina laughed. “I’m just a little girl that has a lot of time to think. Your mission is what you’re supposed to do in life. These lilies are meant to be sweet They have to stay right where they are put, un less someone moves them. But no matter where they are, their won derful fragrance goes out to every one around them." “Why, Ernestina that’s Just like you! You have to stay right here, until someone picks you up and car- ries you around. But you are al ways so nice to everybody! You should have been named ‘Lily!’ I have to go now, but I’m so glad I came!” She gave her friend a hug and skipped down the walk. As Penny walked home, her thoughts were bright with memory of the wonderful Lord Jesus, who came back from the grave that first Easter day, and of her dear little friend, Ernestina, who had been near the shadow of death, too, and who had come back to ‘consider the lilies’ and to mingle her sweetness with theirs. P«ge Twtniy-one
Helen Prazee-Bower
P ENNY knew when she wakened that this day was going to be different. There was a “spe was the unusual brightness of the sun, the extra lilt in the song of the canary, the way in which a tiny breeze teased the curtains of her window; but really it was none of these things. At last she remembered this was the day she was going to take the pot of lilies to Ernestina! Ernestina’s little crippled hands would touch the flowers so lovingly and her understanding heart would read a message in every blossom. Once she had infantile paralysis, and she couldn’t walk yet; she might never walk again. Nobody knew for sure. Ernestina couldn’t come to school now. Miss Britain went to her home to teach her two hours every Friday. Penny thought she might like not having to go to school herself, but of course she wouldn’t like being paralyzed. She felt very sorry for Ernestina who once had been so active. Why, she had been able to jump rope faster than any girl in school! Now she might never jump again. Penny was glad she was going to take the lilies to cheer her friend today. They had collect ed money at school for children like Ernestina, but it was a lot better to take something in person. Penny hurried through breakfast, did the few duties that were her spe cial responsibility, said goodby to her mother, and was off. Ernestina was sitting by the win dow in her wheel chair, and called to Penny as she came up the walk: “Yoo, hoo, Penny! My, I’m glad to see you!" Penny stooped and kissed her. “I brought you something, Ernestina,” she said, as she drew aside the green wax paper that covered the creamy blossoms. APRIL, 1947
Ernestina’s eyes shone. “Oh, thank you, thank you, Penny! I Just
cial" feeling in the air. Maybe it
love lilies! They make me think of the words of Jesus, ‘Consider the lilies.’ That’s one thing I can do. Sometimes I wonder what a little cripple like me can ever do for Him. My feet can't run errands any more, and my hands can’t do much . . . Isn’t ‘consider’ a nice word?" “I’m not sure exactly what it means,” said Penny truthfully, “you were always so much better than I in school." “Let’s look it up in the dictionary. It’s on the table over there.” To gether they bent over the book. “Here it is!" Penny exclaimed, ‘“ to think on with care; to ponder; to study; to meditate on.’ When you ‘consider the lilies,’ Ernestina, what are you going to think about?" “Oh, let me see: how they began —from plain, little, brown bulbs; then how they were buried in the rich, black earth. It was dark and cold and scary—down there—like a prison!"
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