Sarah was sitting on her seat listening to the other girls chattering around her. They were talking about all the sorts of things that young girls talk about while they were waiting for the speaker to arrive at the Youth Group. The elderly missionary soon arrived and was introduced to them.

He was rather a tired looking man, but his eyes lit up with enthusiasm as he began to talk. He described the village people from the country where he had been for so many years, and finished up by telling a story from his youth.

This happened long before the days of the animal rights movement and it illustrated his point extremely well. His father was a farmer and had a young heifer that fell into a deep pit one day.

“We tried everything we could think of to get that heifer out of the hole”, he said, “But nothing worked. It had made up its mind to lie there until it died. Well, Dad wasn’t going to let it die on him that easily, so he told me to go and get the electric fence unit and tie the heifer’s tail to it. We turned the fence on, and that heifer sprang to life with a blood curdling moo and scrambled up out of that pit as though a mob of dogs were after her!”

Everyone smiled at the picture this brought to mind.

“You know”, he continued, “I sometimes wonder if God doesn’t have to give us a jolt like that to get us moving some time. It’s all very easy to say why doesn’t someone do something when you can do it yourself. God needs to give us a jolt to get us moving in His work Don’t expect someone else to go; don’t expect others to give time or money when you could do it! We don’t need another message on these things, just get up and DO them!”

Sarah wriggled a bit on her seat….she knew exactly what he was talking about. How many times had she intended to write a letter to her Gran thanking her for the Christmas present, but hadn’t got around to it. Now the year was getting on and it still wasn’t done. What about the times when her mother had to ask her three times to get up and wash the dishes….she could have done them the first time!

“Please God, help me to be better at doing these things”, she whispered in her mind, “and not put off doing things when I know I should do them!”

The last song was given out, and Sarah felt better about singing the words of it….”In the house and out of doors, Washing dishes scrubbing floors, Mending, ironing washing too, All the things I have to do….I’ll do it all for Jesus, I’ll do it all for Jesus, He’s done so much for me!”