A poor shepherd told a story of how he had been brought to God. He said: “I forget now who it was that said to me, ‘John, you are very poor.’ True. ‘If you fell ill, your wife and children would be hard up.’ True. And then I felt anxious and uneasy for the rest of the day. In the evening there came wiser thoughts to me, and I said to myself, ‘John, for more than thirty years you have lived in this world, and you have never possessed anything much. And still you live on, and have been provided each day with food and clothing, and each night with a good sleep. God has never sent you more than your share of trouble. When you needed help, it always came. To whom do you owe all this? To God. John, don’t be ungrateful any longer, but get rid of those anxious thoughts; for what could ever induce you to think that the hand from which you received so much, would close against you when you grew old, and have greater need of help?’ I prayed to the Lord and told Him these things, and thanked Him for such a Saviour. After that, I felt at peace.”
ML-09/03/1978