Betty Walton sold fashionable millinery in a large department store. Daily contact with the world of style kept her mind occupied with things of earth; and the things of God had no place in her thoughts.
BUT GOD, who gave His dear Son for such as she, had His eye on Betty. Through a Christian friend Betty was invited to attend a Bible class specially arranged for young business girls.
Gay and thoughtless, fond of dress and worldly amusements as she was, Betty came only occasionally to the class. More frequently she was absent. After a longer absence than usual the teacher of the class heard that she was ill and went to see her.
Poor Betty was not pleased. Was she worse than any other young people that it was thought necessary to visit and speak of religion to her? However, her visitor assured her gently that the visit was not from any idea that she was worse than others. Thus soothed, she listened quietly while a few verses were read from the Word.
Betty was soon able to return to work for a while, but she did not come to the class, as she was not well enough to be out at night. Her teacher visited her from time to time, and though the ailing girl no longer objected, she received her caller more from civility than enjoyment.
Finally her health completely gave way, and soon it became evident that a deadly disease was rapidly doing its fatal work. Still there was no evidence that her conscience had been reached by the Word, and those who watched for her soul became doubly anxious.
The first evidence of interest she showed was one day when Romans 4 was being read to her. The reader paused at verse 3, and repeated slowly: "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
With startled earnestness Betty suddenly asked, "Where is that?”
She said nothing more, but her visitor felt assured that a ray of light from God's Word had reached her. This assurance was confirmed at the next visit. The same subject was before them and the caller remarked that Abraham had nothing but God's Word to rest on; he was shut up to faith. Apart from that, all was hopeless impossibility.
The speaker glanced up at the girl's face. She lay with closed eyes and two great tears had forced themselves from beneath the tightly compressed lids and rolled down the wasted cheeks. A deep though silent thanksgiving went up to God from the visitor's heart.
After this visit the reserve which Betty had hitherto maintained gradually gave way and now she gladly welcomed any who came to speak to her of the Lord. Now she was happy to hear God's Word, and was soon rejoicing in Jesus as her Savior.
Only once afterward did her joy seem to be interrupted. On that occasion her countenance and manner could never be effaced from the heart of the young Christian who witnessed the exercise through which her soul was passing. The contrast to the usually happy, peaceful face and bright greeting was too apparent not to be noticed.
Her visitor asked: "What is the matter, Betty? Has Satan been tempting you to doubt the Lord?”
“No," she replied; "I have neither doubt nor fear. It is not that.”
"And what is it, then? Something is wrong.”
She had not yet raised her eyes; but now lifting them, she said, with a never-to-be-forgotten look and a tone of deepest sadness: "Oh, Miss Gray, I have lost my life.”
At once her friend understood what she meant. It was not that she was dying; it was not that she was being cut down in her youth. No; it was that the brief life with which she had been entrusted had been spent for her own pleasure, and now it was nearly over. It was A LOST LIFE.
There was silence. No word was spoken between those two—one about to be called away just as she had entered the wilderness path; the other with the path stretched out before her still to be trodden.
It was a solemn moment. God was exercising each heart, and she who seemed likely to have many years still before her thought— "If one only lately converted, when dying, feels like this, how must it be with those who have long known the Lord as their Savior, but have lived for themselves, and not for Him who laid down His life to save them!”
The cloud passed and the sunny smile returned. It may be that the God of all grace permitted that cloud for the accomplishment of His own will, and that dear Betty's has not been altogether a lost life.