The Old Woman’s Bundle

“Each one’s work will be shown for what it is, whether it is gold or silver, or wood or straw.” — from 1 Corinthians 3

Belfast was a busy city full of linen mills and shipyards. The Carmichaels lived in a nice part of town, but money was getting tighter. Then, in 1885, Amy’s father died. Amy was seventeen. Now she helped her mother look after the younger children and the house.

At about this time Amy began to have attacks of strong pain in her nerves, called neuralgia. Sometimes the pain lasted for days. It would trouble her for the rest of her life.

One dull Sunday morning, the family was walking home from church. Amy and two of her brothers saw a poor old woman struggling along the street with a heavy bundle. They turned and helped her. They took her arms and carried her load. All the smart people coming out of church could see them, and Amy felt hot with embarrassment.

As they passed a fountain in the street, some words from the Bible came into Amy’s mind so strongly that she turned to see who had spoken. They were Paul’s words about building with “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble.” But nobody was there. The fountain splashed, and they walked on with the old woman.

When she got home, Amy went to her room and was alone with God for a long time. She said later that she settled something with God that day. Being admired by people was like hay and stubble, which burns up. But love that bends down to help someone in need is like gold. It lasts.

God does not look at how important we seem. He sees the kind things we do when nobody claps. Helping someone who needs it, even when you feel silly, is like building with gold.

Dear God, help me not to worry about what other people think of me. Help me to be kind to people who need help, and to build my life with gold. Amen.