HOW very pleasant is the face of this young girl! I think we may judge by the picture that she has a kind heart. How fearless the little calf is! It seems to have been her habit, as she goes about her early morning work, to bring it some dainty green, and now it comes forward to take it. The geese follow close behind her, giving an occasional reminder that they do not wish to be forgotten. She always brings something in her basket for them, too. I think we may learn two very important lessons from this picture.
First, that we should show kindness and consideration to God’s creatures. Did you ever stop to think that every living creature belongs to the Lord? In Psalms 50:10, 11,10For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. (Psalm 50:10‑11) it is written: “For every beast of the forest is Mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.” How careful this should make us in the way we treat His creatures. Would we not be very displeased if someone should abuse our dog or our horse or cattle? Don’t you think the Lord must be very grieved when we treat them cruelly? In many places of the Bible we read of the tenderness of the Lord, so much so that He would not allow the children of Israel to “seethe a kid in its mother’s milk.” “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.” Prov. 12:1010A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10). He cares for the wild beasts and the fowls. “He giveth to the beast his food and to the young ravens which cry.” Psalm 147:99He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. (Psalm 147:9). Think how very gracious our God is; when Jonah was angry with the Lord for not destroying Nineveh, the Lord asked him if he did well to be angry and said, “Should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six-score thousand persons that cannot descern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” The Lord remernbered the cattle. When Jonah preached’ to the people they repented and put on sack cloth and fasted and they also made the cattle fast and put sack cloth on them. It says in Psalm 148 that “beasts and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowls,” shall praise the name of the Lord.
I think the second lesson we learn from this picture is cheerfulness and contentment. The girl in the picture looks very poor, yet has such a cheerful countenance. It may cost her a great deal of pleasure to have to go out to work so early. It is written in Prov. 15:13,13A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13) “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance,” and in 1 Tim. 6:6, 8,6But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Timothy 6:6)
8And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (1 Timothy 6:8) “Godliness with contentment is great gain. Having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
We found first how the fear of the Lord will cause us to be kind to His creatures, and secondly, that if the Lord is our portion, we will be content with very little down here, and wear cheerful countenances, knowing that .”the Lord will provide.”
“BE CONTENT WITH SUCH THINGS AS YE HAVE; FOR HE HATH SAID, I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE.” Heb. 13: 5.
Messages of God’s Love 6/14/1908