A poor widow lady who lived alone in a country place attended a meeting and heard of the need for Bibles among the poor. She had only a dollar left, part of which she intended to pay out for some wool to make an apron for herself, and part for some candles, so that she might work in the evenings.
She felt so much for the poor people without Bibles that she determined to put 50c in the collection and let her apron wait. As she heard more about the need of the poor she at last determined to give the dollar altogether, “because,” she said, “I can do better without an apron than people can do without the Word of God.” So she went home that night and slept comfortably.
At dawn the next morning a neighbor called at her door and said, “Peggy, we have had a terrible night; several of my sheep have been carried away by the flood. Two more are dead in the hedge of your garden. You can have the wool from them if you like.”
She thankfully accepted the gift, and from the wool she was able to make several aprons and buy candles besides. As no one knew what she had done the day before but herself and God, she looked upon that circumstance as God’s gracious goodness towards her.
ML-07/08/1973