Tracks for the New Year
Old 1948 is all crisscrossed and tramped down with many tracks. Some of the tracks we made we wish we hadn’t. You’d wipe out the crooked tracks you made if you could. So would I. God is giving us 1949 to track through as we please. Let’s make them straight,” their mother said seriously. “ But Mamma, I couldn’t help it that I fell down and messed up the snow,” Billy interrupted, “ sometimes I didn’t mean to do wrong, but I couldn’t help it.” “ Don’t feel bad, Billy, about your spill. You weren’t hurt. We all tumble once in a while. And speaking of doing wrong, none of us are perfect.” “ But you don’t need to be a dope and try to run over things,” Danny reminded him. “ Aim at where you want to end up and don’t wobble aside to something else on the way. If we aim at what Jesus wants us to do, He’ll guide our tracks in life straight, too.” “ But Mamma, thinking of keeping my tracks straight for a whole year scares me. I know I can’t do that,” Danny pro tested. “Well, let’s just teke one day at a time. If you’re at school or anywhere and Satan tries to make your track even a little crooked, quickly tell Jesus about it. He’s always there to help straighten your tracks or pick you up when you fall.” “ One day at a time wouldn’t, scare me if you. and Jesus are around to help me ke.ep my tracks straight,” Billy said sturdily, as he hung up his skis in the garage. “ That’s the right spirit as we ap proach the New Year,” their mother smiled, as she set out a snack of cookies and milk for their husky appetites.
By Mrs. William Schobert
O H, goody! Look; it snowed last night!” cried Danny as he hopped out of bed and shivered ecstatical ly by the window. “Maybe Mamma will take us sledding today.” “Hurry and dress for breakfast, boys. This is Saturday and I have cleaning and baking to do.” “ But, Mamma, you promised to do it sometime. Please!” “Well, if you’ll help me with the cleaning and dishes, we will leave as soon as I have the buns and coffee cake in the pans,” their mother promised, with a smile. No one mentioned that the boys ate their breakfast too fast. Danny ran the vacuum happily, and Billy dusted the furniture vigorously. Then there was a hurried clatter as together they washed the dishes while Mamma fashioned raised dough into fancy coffee rolls and buns. So it was still early when Danny and Billy and Mamma trudged through the snow with the sled and skis, heading for a hill not far from home. “ Look! We’re the first ones here and no one else has gone down the hill yet,” Billy announced with satisfaction. “ I’m glad we’re first,” Danny said proudly, “ I’ll be the first one to make tracks on my skis.” They went flying down the hill, Danny on his skis, Billy face down upon his sled. Mother felt pride in Danny’s fine, straight track to the foot of the hill. But oops! Billy, steering for a slight bump in the snow, engaged an obstruc tion beneath with one runner, causing a mighty flop! Bolling, his momentum caused him to plow up a furrow on his side while the lightened sled slithered along, runners up. “ What a dope!” Danny disparaged his young brother’s upset. Laughing, they trudged up the hill together. “ Mamma will show you how to do it. See if you can keep in my tracks, will you?” he dared her. “ I can make one as straight. Look at the tracks. Billy was all right till he swerved for that bump. Now it looks as if an elephant had rolled around in the snow.” “ You take the sled, Mamma, I can go straighter on skis.” “Look at her go !” Danny said proudly as his mother sped away straight as ah arrow in flight far beyond Danny’s track at the bottom of the hill. They followed quickly without mishap and the three of them snowballed each other on the way up. Others had arrived and the snow was quickly crisscrossed by hundreds of tracks. The sun came out in power soft ening the snow. The hour was gone in a flash.
Going home more slowly than they had started out, Danny remarked, “ The snow was so pretty when we came to the hill, but now it looks awful. No one can ever fix it up nice again.” “ Oh, sure, next time it snows it will be as pretty as ever.” “ But we can’t do that. That would be God doing it,” countered Danny.
Danny went flying down the hUl. “When it was fresh, it made me think of the New Year, smooth and unspoiled.
J A N JANUARY ESUS Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). ND my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation” (Psa. 35:9). OW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). U NTO thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my de fence, and the God of my mercy” (Psa. 59:17). A S the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God” (Psa. 42:1). R EJOICE in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Psa. 97:12). Y E are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (2 Cor. 3:2).
JUNIOR KING'S BUSINESS
Martha S. Hooker
Page Thirteen
J A N U A R Y , 19 49
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