Mrs. Winters had just decided to hire Janet Dunn, a young girl, to help look after her home and the three children.
“There is one other thing I should like to mention,” said Mrs. Winters, “and that is that we have a short Bible reading every morning before the day’s work begins. So please don’t forget your Bible.”
Mrs. Winters thought she noticed Janet’s lip curl ever so slightly, but she merely inclined her head, and departed.
At the first of the month Janet arrived to begin her services, but she had not brought her Bible.
“I like Mrs. Winters, she is a dear,” Janet told a friend, “but I’m afraid she’ll find my memory not too good where the Bible is concerned.” And she laughed.
Nothing was said the first morning. An extra copy of the Bible was always there, and it was passed to Janet with a smile. At the end of the week, however, Mrs. Winters said, ‘Don’t forget your Bible, will you, Janet?” And Janet murmured something hardly intelligible.
This went on for some time, and although when joking about it to others, Janet’s laugh did not ring quite so true, still the Bible was not forthcoming.
Mr. Winters, who was a poor comforter, suggested to his wife that she give up the morning reading. “They are not appreciated,” he told her. “Times have changed since our young days.”
Poor Mrs. Winters was quite dressed at times, and began to ask herself whether it was really worthwhile. Was she really doing the good she so earnestly desired and prayed for?
The next morning, as usual the Bible was handed to Janet and for the first time a queer pang seized her. Mrs. Winter’s smile was just the same—so sweet yet so sad. But—surely she looked ill?
Late that evening the ambulance arrived and rushed Mrs. Winters to the hospital where an emergency operation was immediately performed. It was all so sudden. Poor Janet broke down. “I keep on seeing the look she gave me every morning,” she confessed. “I knew it hurt her, but I thought it was clever to hold out. Oh, if anything happens!”
Anxious days followed. At first, there seemed little hope. Then gradually there came a gleam, and after long weeks of waiting, Mrs. Winters began to recover. Then Janet visited the hospital and asked if she might see the invalid. The pathetic expression in the girl’s eyes caused the matron to consent to just three mites, but those three minutes did much toward hastening Mrs. Winters’ recovery. The news her visitor brought, brought the tears to her eyes. “Oh, Janet,” she exclaimed, “do you mean to say you read your Bible every morning?”
“Yes,” replied Janet, “the rest of the staff and I take turns, and we prayed God to make you well again. We are quite sure He will.”
“And I have been praying for you, too,” said Mrs. Winters, holding Janet’s hand and drawing her closer, “that you might trust your soul’s salvation to the One who died for you.”
The three minutes was up, but Janet managed to whisper, “Your prayer has been answered, Mrs. Winters.” And she hurried away.
Mrs. Winters lay with closed eyes and heart lifted in thanksgiving to God. Then she murmured quietly: “I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more.” Psa. 71:1414But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. (Psalm 71:14).
ML 12/26/1965