LITTLE Flora had been brought to the Lord through reading a tract containing the account of a young man, a soldier, who had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour and had given a bright testimony on his death-bed, of how happy he was to go to be with his Lord.
This account had reached her heart. and she longed to tell others about the Lord, who had died for sinners.
As she was thinking to herself one day what she would do to spread the good news that had made her own heart so happy, she remembered the tract that she had so much enjoyed reading, and she said to herself, “This tract went to my heart; perhaps it would to the hearts of others, also. It just says what I should like to say, if I were old enough and brave enough to speak. I wonder if I could manage to give some of them away! Only fifty cents for a whole hundred copies! Then I can get twenty with my bright little silver dime, and twenty people may learn about the Lord Jesus! I know mamma has laid in a good stock of them, and I will ask her if I may buy some from her.”
So she went to her mamma, and asked her for twenty copies, for which she gladly gave her bright silver dime, and Flora felt very happy as she thought of many a heart that might turn to the Lord through her giving them away. But Flora was a shy little girl and she soon began to find that not only was it hard to speak about the Lord Jesus to others, but even to give away a tract that spoke about Him, and she felt almost inclined to despair, and to return them again to her mother.
The next day she was sent on an errand to the town, so she put three of her tracts in her little bag, hoping she might have courage to give them away. Presently she heard the rumbling of wheels behind her, so she thought she would put one of her tracts in the hedge, hoping that someone would see it, and take it to read, for she was afraid to hand it to anyone. Now we shall see what happened to it. When she had returned to the place, where do you think she found it? Not in the hedge, nor yet taken up by anyone, as she had thought, but blown into the ditch, and was all crumpled and dirty, so poor Flora saw that through her cowardice, one of her tracts was wasted.
When she reached home, she saw a little boy standing at the door waiting, so she thought she would give one to him. She did not feel afraid to speak to a little boy, and with a silent prayer, she offered him one. He said he could not read, but his father could, and he would give it to him, so the boy carefully put it into his pocket. When she entered the house, she found two visitors with her mamma, a lady and her little daughter. After shaking hands with them, her mamma told her she might take her young friend to her room, and play together.
Margaret and Flora were very glad, and they went upstairs, and Flora showed her all her pretty things. Margaret said:
“You have plenty of nice books.”
So Flora asked her if she was fond of reading, adding she had a beautiful story, which was all true. Flora asked if she should read it to her, and the offer was willingly accepted, but she had scarcely finished two pages when the dinner bell rang, so she had to stop, much to Margaret’s disappointment, as she was getting much interested.
“You may take it with you, and keep it,” said Flora.
“I should like it very much,” replied Margaret, “but I shall not keep it, as a box is going across the water to my brother, for he is a soldier, and I shall send the tract to him.”
Little Flora, as you may imagine, felt so happy at the thought of her tract going so many miles over the sea, and that it might lead someone to God, whom she would never see till she met him in Heaven.
One morning her mamma asked her to r with her, and visit a sick woman, who lived down the road. She had a very wicked husband, and Flora was afraid to go in lest she might see him, but her mamma told her he would be at his work, and that she need not be afraid. So they went, and found the poor woman lying in bed, and she was so glad to see them.
The eyes of both Flora and her mamma caught sight of a well-known tract lying on the bed. Flora’s mamma asked who gave it to her. She said her little boy had brought it home about three weeks ago, and told her a little lady had given it to him.
The tears came into her eyes as she said:
“It took my husband’s fancy, and many the times he has talked about it since; he has been a different man since reading it, and now he likes to read his Bible. He said yesterday that when he died, he would go where the young soldier had gone before him.” Flora’s heart leaped for joy that the Lord had used her to help one soul to find the Saviour.
Now, dear children, does not this story make you feel you would like to bring some soul to Jesus? You can’t be too young, and Jesus loves the youngest one, and likes to see them trying to do something for Him.
ML 12/16/1917