A little bird nesting high up under the eaves in the big, gray house was startled to hear several alarms jangling away at once under her roof-top home. The eastern sky was becoming only faintly rosy. What an uncommon racket so early!
Down inside, several sleepy heads were raised among them Mary Jane’s and Ellen’s. It wasn’t hard to awaken, as the curlers had prevented very sound sleep anyway. Immediately the day’s prospects flashed into their minds. A really different day! They were going into the meeting this Lord’s Day, but the extra special part was that the Bowmans were to be there and the family was to stay in town for the afternoon and evening meetings. The morning’s chores must be done and breakfast over in time to take care of all the girls’ hair and primping. Lori still marcelled hers, heating the iron on the lamp chimney, but the others had taken to curlers. Mary Jane’s hair was still rather ragged from too hot a curling iron the last time she attempted the hot iron method.
“To think that Linda doesn’t appreciate her natural curls! Some people sure don’t know when they’re blessed,” she observed to Ellen. “Can you make this mop look a little better? Why are girls supposed to have curled hair anyway?”
“Well, for one thing, you and I look – but here, I’ll help you with your tam. Daddy’s driving the car around. We’ve got to go!”
It was a relief when they were all packed in the little Chevie, very carefully, so as to minimize wrinkles in crisply ironed skirts.
It was a general Sunday school that day – no separate classes. All eyes were on the beloved visiting brother as he read the portion he had chosen for his little talk.
“Oh, Lord,” prayed Mary Jane to herself, “Please let this be a real time of blessing! Thou knowest my need!”
“All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out,” the speaker was reading in his chosen portion. Several more verses were read to complete the point he had in mind. But they were lost to Mary Jane. It was as if an electric shock had arrested her. Why had she never noticed the words before!
“All-that-the-Father giveth-Me-shall come....”
Given of the Father to the Lord Jesus!
“Why – I know I came to Jesus – and, can it be? The reason I came was that the Father Himself gave me to His Son? Now that takes care of my predestination worries! I thank Thee, blessed Lord, for showing me! Oh, I’ll never doubt again!”
And it was as simple as that. All day long she reveled in her newly understood treasure. “The Father Himself loveth you,” and I’m actually given by Him to the blessed Jesus! “Accepted in the Beloved – and “chosen in Him”. She let the well-known phrases and clauses run and re-run through her mind. The perfect joy she had so long sought, shone forth on her little freckled face, and she wasn’t even aware of it.
But Ellen noticed it very soon. She had only lately laid hold on the meaning of John 3:16. The power of the Spirit of God had brought settled peace to her heart, and she had been praying for the same to happen to Mary Jane. At the first opportunity she whispered to her sister.
“Tell me about it. Something’s really made you happy, I know.”
“Oh, Ellen! How could I hear with ears that didn’t really hear for so long? You know how I’ve been worrying about whether I was a predestined one or not? Well, the Lord showed me.”
She went on to explain the light that had dawned through the simple reading of the scripture. The brother had not spoken on that particular subject and the verse was not his theme. But the earnest prayer of a seeking soul could not go unanswered. “Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24.
It was a full day and a day full of joy. The dear saints of God in the assembly never seemed dearer. Mary Jane and Ellen had lately been thrilled to have a new friend their own age. Linda belonged to a family lately gathered to the Lord’s name. Although she didn’t seem to care about too much besides clothes and books and boys, it was at least not so lonely for the girls.
“I was just like that not long ago – and so were you” Ellen confided to Mary Jane. “We must pray for her. Someday she’ll really ‘hear’ too.”
When at last she found herself milking cows by moonlight, Mary Jane thought to herself, “It’s funny – I ought to be tired enough to cry. Real joy affects a person all over, I guess. How could anyone want to refuse the wonderful love of God!”
One last chore remained. The foaming separated milk had to be fed to four young calves at the barn.
“Come on, Lori,” Mary Jane called. “I’ll take two buckets and you take the other two.” Each calf received about one third of a bucket. Coming back down the trail, Mary Jane recalled her sister to words she had spoken some time ago.
“Remember when you told me one time – ‘He that hath begun a good work in you will perform it...’?”
“Yes, honey. Did He finish it today?”
“I suppose it really means more than just giving settled peace to the heart. But I don’t think I’ll even doubt any more. I found out today that ‘all that the Father giveth Me shall come unto Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’ The part about the Father giving me to the Son was what I hadn’t really heard before. I won’t worry about predestination again. Just think – isn’t it wonderful?”
“It surely ‘passes knowledge’ all right. I thought you seemed awfully happy today. I was terribly tired, but suddenly I’m too glad to be tired any more. That’s good news and a real answer to my prayers.”
Before hopping into bed that night, Mary Jane looked out on the moon-bathed landscape. To the north, the country lane lay white in silvery light.
“It’s like a little piece of the pathway in life. I can only see a little way and I don’t know what is ahead for me. Life seemed kind of scarey before, but oh, my Father, since I know Thou didst give me to Thy blessed Son – that Thou, Lord Jesus, didst shed Thy blood to wash my sins away – I know Thou wilt be with me. I thank Thee one more time!”