A Springing Youth of Fragrance

Jessica was hospitalized for a week.  The doctor said she had jaundice.  Her mom and dad and Ann, her sister were there to care for her.  At this blooming age of 13, she felt a little nervous when she heard she had to stay in the hospital.

On hearing about her illness, her Sunday School teacher came to see her holding a nice bouquet in her hand on the very first day. She talked to her and her family and said a prayer.  Jessica felt gracious talking to her teacher. She was so happy to see those flowers the teacher brought.  The teacher asked to leave.  She didn’t give the bouquet to Jessica and left.  Jessica thought she might have forgotten to give it to her or maybe those were not for her.

 
The next day, the Sunday School teacher visited her again with the same bouquet in her hand.  Today, those flowers were not as blooming as yesterday, but still were looking beautiful.  She said a prayer.  Again today, she didn’t give those flowers and went away.



The third day.  The same chronicle. The teacher was bringing the bouquet and not giving her.  The fourth day, again the same.  Jessica was to be discharged on the fifth day.  The teacher was there again.  Today, there was no life in the flowers the teacher had brought; mostly there were only stems left and no fragrance at all.

The teacher left the bouquet on the hospital bed table beside her.  She said “This bouquet’s for you.”  She couldn’t help herself asking, “Why teacher, when it was full of life, you didn’t give it to me!” and asked her offensively, “take it away, I don’t want it.”

“Do you remember Jessie,” said the teacher, “This was what I wanted to make you understand in our class when you argued about serving the Lord at an early age. You said these things are to be done in our additional life. Tell me would God like your life when it has withered?  If you don’t want these flowers, then God too wouldn’t want your dried-up life.”