God Gifts the Caring Heart | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: God Gifts the Caring Heart | Previous Challenge Entry
By
11/29/07
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

Two little girls just a little older than Mary were being baptized and the preparations for the celebration were in full swing. People parked up and down along the highway that followed the winding river. People with food were unloading their cars and walking down the trail to the little beachhead where the potluck would be held afterwards.

Mary felt a little awkward because she didn’t speak Spanish and most of the families spoke only Spanish. Her mother worked with the mother of one of the girls being baptized. Mary had grown up in the Midwest where Spanish wasn’t as all around you as it was in California.

The baptisms went very smoothly, even though she couldn’t understand the words the lay-preacher was saying. Her friends looked happy standing in the water and afterwards they smiled big smiles and each hugged the preacher and one another.

The food was great as Mary sat down with her mother on their big red blanket smoothed out over the sandy stretch along the beautiful pool of water the river made as it swirled around a big rock outcropping.

A little girl stood off by herself. She tried to eat holding her paper plate with one hand but it was so thin and flimsy that it kept bending. No one seemed to notice. The little girl got so self-conscious that she stopped trying to eat altogether and just stood there helplessly embarrassed.

Mary asked her to come sit down and to share her blanket but the little girl pretended not to hear her. Mary finally realized that she couldn’t speak English and her heart went out for her because she knew how awkward she felt. Finally she asked, “Sientese?” and the little girl smiled and came over and sat down gratefully.

Mary’s mother stared with big eyes at Mary and at first she couldn’t understand why. Then, all of sudden, she understood. She had spoken Spanish! She didn’t even know she knew how to ask someone to sit down in Spanish!

For the rest of her life Mary remembered the shy, grateful smile of that little girl. When Mary grew up, she taught her own children to follow the promptings of love in their hearts and she promised them that if they did, God would give them amazing gifts that will fill them with awe and wonder.

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE

JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.