Earthly poverty,
eternal wealth
Ruby Davey remembers an infinitely precious gift...

n thinking of the subject of 'Free Gift' (or in my learning of the French language 'gratis cadeau'!), I had to go back years and years to my childhood, a childhood of poverty where one was so thankful for the small things in life, but still a life where one felt happy and philosophical despite the daily happenings all around. Gifts were unheard of. I don't remember receiving any gifts at Christmas or birthdays because my father (being a miner) had no work for weeks on end owing to a general strike and a time of great depression - I never expected anything and was quite happy if I had some food to eat and did not feel ill.

What a difference to the times in which we live now. People have so much - often more than they need. So much food is wasted these days that when I see it I feel it keenly because of my past. My parents did their best with the little that they had and managed to make it go a long way, yet we were pleased just to be together and sharing as a family. Now, as Christmas approaches and I see the loads of toys that children get these days, I look back to when I was happy making pretend pastry out of clay, having a pretend shop where broken china was used as money, and discarded stalks of rhubarb were cut up for sale! Dressing up in bits of lace curtains, putting on plays, using our imagination to such an extent that we were unaware of how little we possessed.

ne day, when I was coming up to the age of eleven or twelve, my school friends invited me to a meeting where food was given 'free' to the children. I could not resist this as hunger was always with me. I'll never forget the aroma of the food as we entered the building and I was soon, along with my friends, devouring this very welcome free gift.

Then a speaker started to tell us about Jesus loving us children and how He longed for us to come to Him and receive His love into our hearts. Being satisfied with the meal I had just eaten, I was able to listen and felt a growing need to respond to this invitation, so I and several of my classmates went forward for prayer, and it was then that I received my second free gift, the greatest gift in all the world! I was full of joy when I went home and told my mother what I had done. In Romans 6:23 it tells us that the gift of God is eternal life. What a gift! No other gift could compare with this, that we who accept God can look forward to an inheritance! I was immediately lifted out of poverty and into riches! How wonderful, and it is free!

Ruby