Illustration
Posted by: DRjim <DRjim@...>
The Methodist Preacher in our town sent this illustration to
me. Have any of you seen it before?
Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom
and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she
knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out
of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next
month because Daddy didn't have the money for the doctor's
bills and our house.
Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was
looking like
there was no-one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say
to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, "Only a
miracle can save him now."
Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from
its hiding
place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the
floor and
counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be
exactly
perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the
coins
back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out
the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug
Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some
attention
but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet
to make a
scuffing noise. Nothing.
She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she
could muster. No good.
Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the
glass counter. That did it!
"And what do you want?" the pharmacist asked in an annoyed
tone of voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Chicago
whom I haven't seen in ages", he said without waiting for a
reply to his question.
"Well, I want to talk to you about my brother," Tess
answered back in
the same annoyed tone. "He's really, really sick... and I
want to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside
his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now.
So how much does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I
can't help
you," the pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough,
I will
get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs."
The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped
down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does
your brother need?"
"I don't know," Tess replied with her eyes welling up. "I
just know
he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But
my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money".
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Chicago.
"One dollar and eleven cents," Tess answered barely audibly.
"And it's
all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and
eleven cents exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he
grasped her mitten and said "Take me to where you live. I
want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if
I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon,
specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed
without
charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and
doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events
that had
led them to this place.
"That surgery," her Mom whispered. "was a real miracle. I
wonder how much it would have cost?"
Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one
dollar
and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.
A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the
operation of
a higher law...... (A TRUE STORY)
JIMMc
--
Jesus is the sweetest name I know
Have you acknowledged His Lordship in your life?
My sermons page:
preachhim.org/sermons.html
--
Jesus is the sweetest name I know
Have you acknowledged His Lordship in your life?
My sermons page:
preachhim.org/sermons.html