“‘To serve Him' in the little things
None other eye can see,
Of which His love will one day say,
'Ye did them unto Me.'”
VERY different from anything Lizzie had ever been used to was life in a workroom—so different that at first she did not like it at all. But three little words, "For Thy sake," have sweetened many a bitter cup, and while her new duties were not at all the kind of work she would have chosen, deep peace filled her heart. Nor was the strange new joy, best known by those who have left something of worldly ease or pleasure to follow the Master—Christ—untasted by her.
Naturally quick and painstaking, she soon learned how to make plain and fancy straw plait into hats and bonnets, so that in less than a year she was placed in charge of the workroom as forewoman or over looker. She had not only to give out work and keep the accounts, but teach the apprentices, of whom there were often as many as eight or ten at one time, mostly young girls of from 12 to 16 years of age.
So another of Lizzie's lesson books had been placed by the tender care of her heavenly Father in her hands, and from its pages she was learning not only needed lessons of faith and patience, but she was being trained for work that lay before her, though of this she at the time knew nothing, During the years Lizzie had spent under her father's roof she had not known much of the wants and sorrows of the very poor. She had, it is true, often in her walks been saddened by seeing little children with shoeless feet and thin, pale faces. It had been, too, one of her weekly pleasures to save part of her weekly allowance of pocket money for an old blind man, who, guided by a faithful dog, found his way from street to street calling out in a shrill, loud voice, "Pity the poor blind"; but to the homes of the very, very poor she was quite a stranger.
About the same time Lizzie took a class of girls in the Sunday school, and though at first some of her scholars, who were very poor and rough children, were often rude and troublesome, they soon learned to love their kind, patient teacher, and the Lord gave her what she longed and prayed for-the joy of leading nearly all her class to know and trust her own precious Savior.
Mabel is asking a question. What is she saying? Will I tell you any true stories about Lizzie's scholars? I am afraid I don't remember any. But Mabel shall have her wished-for story, one that filled my own heart with gladness when not many weeks ago I heard it from the lips of a dear fellow-teacher.
“Poor Julia G—." Hers was a sad, often lonely life. Her mother having died when Julia was quite a baby, her father was very seldom at home, most of his money being spent in drink and his evening in the public-house, so the children (of whom there were several, Julia being, I think, the youngest) were much neglected, and often went to bed cold and hungry. No loving voice had told Julia the old sweet story of a Savior's love. Sin, we know, is in all our hearts, and before Julia was twelve years of age the sinful nature that was hers as a child of Adam had borne very ugly, bitter fruit, and Julia was known in the small country town where she lived as "a little thief." The neighbors would not allow their children to play with or even speak to her.
But there was One who loved her, uncared for and neglected as she was. Loved her, too, although He knew all she was and all she had done. Ah! you have guessed rightly, dear ones. The Lord Jesus was the mighty Friend I mean.
He wanted to make Himself known to her as a Savior, so in His grace He led her to where she could hear of Him as the One who had died for her. Hear of Him as the One "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.... by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24).)
No one seemed exactly to know how it was that Julia first came to our school in R—, but come she did, and was placed in my friend's class. How she got on I hope to tell you in my next chapter.