The brick house was a blaze of light in the darkness. Through the tall narrow windows, the girls could see Mr. Marshall sitting in the big chair by the fireplace as they came up the walk and stepped onto the front porch.
Entering the hallway, they caught a whiff of the stuffed turkey Mrs. Marshall was roasting for them. She had just lifted it out of the oven and onto her chopping block, the dark, rich juices splattering with a delicious aroma. She had prepared a sweet potato casserole with a marshmallow topping, a molded salad, special homemade rolls, along with two green vegetables which were still cooking on the stove. The Marshalls' was not only a second home to Stephen and Julia, but was becoming a second home to Jennie and Kara as well.
Mr. Marshall walked into the kitchen, wearing his good suit and a spotless white shirt with an attractive tie. He slipped his jacket off, turned and grinned at them with his merry twinkle and picked up the carving knife. He was an expert at this. Jennie watched carefully, fascinated as he skillfully carved the turkey: delicately slicing the white meat, laying it neatly on the platter, visiting with them all the while. He was certainly a master carver.
Stephen and Julia arrived moments later. Stephen, as usual, brought his pile of school work. After dinner, he would spend the evening studying. Jennie was happy they could be together during the dinner hour at least. She seldom saw him anymore.
When they finished, Mr. Marshall reached for his large, brown Bible. Through the window behind him, Jennie could see snow beginning to fall swiftly in the night. They could expect the streets to be covered by morning. There was something cozy about being warm inside, and looking out at the failing snow, watching the familiar landmarks being concealed by a white blanket.
Mr. Marshall read the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar from Genesis. He spoke so earnestly on the Scriptures that Jennie could not help but listen, even though her thoughts were troubled over Stephen.
David Marshall commented that Abraham had received some wonderful promises from the Lord; one of which is in the 15th chapter of Genesis and verse 1: "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
"That was a grand promise and assurance that, when problems came, he would always have the help of the Lord to protect him from the enemy." Mr. Marshall compared the promise to Abraham with the invitation to the Lord's people today in Eph. 6:1616Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ephesians 6:16): "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." He stressed that we need to apply this personally in our own lives.
It was good to be here at the Marshalls'. Mr. Marshall's optimism and courage rubbed off on Jennie. She liked thoughts on scripture that were direct and to the point. It was easy to understand what he was saying and apply it to herself. Looking over at Stephen across the table, she wondered if he also was listening. She could see his mind elsewhere tonight and she felt curious.
Mr. Marshall looked down at his Bible as he continued. "Another promise was that Abraham would be the head of a nation, as numerous as the dust of the earth, as abundant as the stars in the heavens. These words were a real encouragement to Abraham and he had never forgotten them. God did not forget them either," Mr. Marshall reminded the young people, "although he permitted Abraham's faith to be tried for more than twenty years.
"Sarah, however, became discouraged because she couldn't see the Lord's promises taking place. The delay was hard for her to endure and so she set about to bring an heir into the family in her own way. But, oh, what sorrows she could have avoided, had she been content to leave it with God! In the end, her self-will brought sorrow not to herself alone, but to the others involved at the time, as well as to future generations."
He paused, looking kindly at the young people who were listening with interest. "Abraham was a man of deep faith. Yet the faith of one person will not do for another. It is strictly a personal thing. There are many like Sarah in Christian circles today. They live under the influence of godly homes or are closely tied to believers, yet they themselves are lacking in faith in the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior. One will say: 'I have been brought up in a Christian home'; another, 'My father was a gospel preacher'; still another, 'I attend services regularly.' They think these things will get them to heaven. But, alas, how many of these dear people cannot say: 'Faith has made Him my personal Savior.' Those who have no true faith themselves cannot rely on the faith of another."
Jennie knew she was coming to just such a time in her life. She could no longer lean on Aunt Sarah and while Uncle Robert was a source of strength to her, she could not tell him her personal problems in the same way.
Mr. Marshall went on, bringing out the point that not only was Sarah lacking in faith at this time, but her failure brought Abraham down to her level, rather than his faith lifting her up.
Mr. Marshall remarked how sad it was that Sarah arranged for Abraham to have a child through Hagar the Egyptian slave and, worse yet, to think that he agreed to it. "This would never have happened," he explained "if Abraham and Sarah had not gone down into Egypt (which is a type of the world) and brought this slave girl back with them. The Christian has so much more promised to him than the world can possibly offer. How important that we find our friendships among the Lord's people," he finished, "and not turn to the world for companionship."
Jennie and Julia were spending the night at the Marshalls'. After they climbed the stairs to the guest room, they compared notes on their jobs. Jennie said in many ways her's was dull, and yet she was happier having something to do. Maybe later on it would work into something she preferred more. It wasn't easy on those cold mornings to stand shivering as she waited for the bus. Sometimes she thought it would never come, but then strong lights shining down at the end of Main Street would appear, offering shelter from the cold for the ride into Peterborough.
Julia remarked that someone once asked her why she didn't just take an apartment in town. "It doesn't hurt me to be under my parents' authority," she commented. "I'm so glad that I am! The more I get away from the circle of my home, the more I change. It's good to have a father and mother there to tell me I'm going in the wrong direction once in a while." She reached for her brush and ran it through her long hair, as she prepared for the night.
"I know a lot of girls don't feel this way. They want to get out on their own," she continued. "But I'm so glad I have a home with parents who love me and care for me. I feel a sense of security and contentment in the warmth of home."
Julia's quick perception was standing her in good stead in a job that had a lot of detail and required concentration, but once five o'clock arrived, she wanted to return to Jaffrey and home. She had never faced the struggle to be satisfied with things as they were in her home. It was Jennie and Stephen who fought so hard against accepting life in Jaffrey.
Jennie switched off the light, both of them ready to call it a day. But Julia clearly had something on her mind.
"Jennie, she said at last, "Stephen is taking a girl at school out quite a bit. Her name is Laurie."
Shock swept over Jennie, leaving her like a stone. "There it is," she thought, "out in the open. I have never let myself believe it could happen this way, but now it has." In one moment of time, everything was changed. All those hours of prayer stood behind her as a bulwark in the face of this moment, but it still was not easy. Just now, she could not remember the lessons she had learned in those quiet times, could not find the comfort she needed. She hardly heard Julia's words as she continued.
"She's a Christian, Jennie. He met her last year at school. I don't think he thought much about her then, but this year they got onto a school project together and working so closely, they've come to know each other well."
There would be little sleep for Jennie that night.
As soon as she could return home the next day, she walked to her maple dresser, needing to find comfort. Pinned there was the last birthday card Aunt Sarah had sent Jennie. She took it down now, knowing the message that was written inside by heart, but needing to read it over and over again.
"God had a purpose in bringing you into this world which no one else can fulfill. Our life is like a puzzle we cannot solve. But God knows the purpose He wants you to achieve.
"He has all the pieces. He knows what the picture will look like when it's finished. He and He alone can fit the pieces together-if we will only let Him. Some of those pieces may try our patience. But all the pieces (the 'all things') are necessary to complete the purpose He has planned for your life. Some may seem to you to be just the opposite of what you would choose. But none can be omitted."
Beside Aunt Sarah's message, the card itself read:
THE WEAVER
My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I, the underside.
Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
Jennie set the card down and remembered that she had once told Aunt Sarah she felt a secret nagging that perhaps His will might be different from hers after all! Now she was face to face with just exactly that. How many times over the last days she forcefully repeated Aunt Sarah's question to herself, "Would you really want Stephen, if the Lord didn't want you to have him?" That was a heart-searching question. As much as she wanted to give the right answer, it was slow in coming. Her mind went back to that hour of struggle on the Hillside. Aunt Sarah had left her so much wisdom and comfort, but in these hard hours she was now alone and peace would only come after she finally submitted to His perfect will. How hard it was to just let go of what she wanted.
The struggle, so agonizing in itself, worsened when Julia had mentioned that Stephen wanted Laurie to spend the night with her when he brought her down some weekend in the early spring! She honestly didn't know if she could find a place in her heart for Laurie at all. And now to have to share a room with her! Why couldn't Stephen understand?
Jennie well knew that the measure of her acceptance of anything hard in her life, would be directly related to the measure of her trust in God.