“But, Mother,” I insisted, “I don’t want to go.”
She was very gentle about it, but there was no use arguing with her. “Yes,” she said, “Mrs. Dunn wants you, and you must go.”
I was remembering the dark little room in which the poor old lady lived alone, without family or much money to cheer her, and I tried another argument.
“I’ll go if you will come with me,” I said, but nothing changed my mother’s mind. I had to go see the old lady, and I had to go today and I had to go alone.
Pennies were very scarce in our house, even for Mother, and for me there were none at all. The only way to get to Mrs. Dunn’s place was to walk, and it was a chilly March day in Canada. I was just grumpy old me, and I did not want to go.
Life has many hard things to do. Have you found it that way? I have since learned the story of a man named Moses who had things to do that were much harder than mine. But the Bible says “he had respect unto the recompense [repayment] of the reward” (Hebrews 11:2626Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Hebrews 11:26)). He left a king’s palace to go off into the desert, with no more money than I had (which was none), because he cared more about the riches of the eternal God than he did about anything he left behind. In fact, he left because his faithfulness to God rather than to the king had made the king angry.
When I set off to visit Mrs. Dunn, nobody was angry with me. So why was I grumpy? And why do you become grumpy if you are asked to do something you don’t want to do? Do you know that God will reward your obedience, if it is done for Him? God says, “Children, obey your parents” (Ephesians 6:11Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1)). And God will reward you, if you do that thing in obedience to Him.
I went that chilly March day, and Mrs. Dunn had a surprise for me. You know what? She knew that my birthday was coming up soon, and she gave me a whole dollar! A hundred pennies, all for me! And that was why she had sent for me, and I never guessed it. All my grumpiness was gone, and I ran all the way home.
“Mother,” I shouted, “she gave me a dollar!”
And what reward will God give you if you really want to please Him? I don’t know, but it will be far better than a dollar. It may not come right away, but it will last much longer. God’s rewards are forever. Will you, this very day, remember His command, “Children, obey your parents,” and then remember that He has promised to reward your obedience?
ML-01/09/2000