Ragged Woman
As I lay there among the daisies and buttercups in the lush meadow, I sensed eyes were upon me. Someone was watching me. I had an odd feeling that I was being spied upon. Without wishing to give any sign I suspected anything, I carefully pushed off the cap, which had been shading my face.
Then I lay back and thought carefully. Who was the spy, and why would they watch me? I was alone, dozing in a lonely marsh, miles from civilisation. Where was the spy? As I lay there, I glanced all around as far as I could without moving… I just flicked my eyes without turning my head. But I could not see anyone.
Giving a huge yawn and a stretch, I sat up as naturally as I could. Ah! That was better. Now I could look around in comfort without appearing to suspect anything.
I looked at my watch and then reached for my haversack. Taking a cake of chocolate out I munched quietly whilst studying the situation. I still felt someone was watching me, and I suspected the spy to not be particularly far away. Every move I made was monitored… and it made the hair rise on the back of my neck to think of it. What if the person was a gunman? I shuddered to think of that! Was he aiming at my heart right then? Would I feel the stinging pain of death at any second?
These thoughts and more crept into my mind, creating a terrible feeling of fear and unrest. Unable to bear the suspense any longer, I gathered my things together and rose to my feet.
Throwing my pack over my shoulder and wrapping my jacket round my waist, I strode off with an easy gait. I wanted to give the unknown watcher no reason to suspect me.
I reached the fence that surrounded the open meadow where I had been resting, and cleared the wire with one leap. As I entered the trees, my nonchalant amble became a swift sprint for dense cover… the nearer and thicker the better!
As I dived headlong into a patch of thick brambles and fern, I was panting with fear. Why on earth should I, a grown man, be so scared of something I hadn’t even seen? After all, it may have just been a cow peeking through the hedge. I sat there covered in scratches thinking furiously. Why did I have such fear?
Feeling very gloomy and not a little stupid I gazed round at where I was sitting. Not far from where I was there was a small camp bed set up. It had a thin rug over the end of it. Nearby was a half burnt candle sitting in a saucer sitting on a weathered old packing case. There was an old bag with some food… not much, just a couple of oranges, a loaf of dry bread, and a lump of stale cheese. There were only two signs that gave some clue of the recent tenant. There was the straw hat sitting atop of the old stump next to the rickety bed. It was a women’s head piece. And there was a small mirror resting next to the candle stub. No man would worry enough about his looks to need a mirror out in this environment.
So why would a woman live in such squalid conditions? Could that have been the one who was spying on me earlier? So many puzzles and so many stories ran through my mind. Was she old or young? Was she a runaway from the local orphanage? Or was she one of the homeless from the nearby city? Nothing seemed to add up, so the only solution I could come up with was to find the poor woman… for poor she must be to have to live in this neglected state.
To find her posed a problem. How was I to locate her without scaring her… realising she had probably been spying on me earlier? I thought a bit, and then came up with a plan… the ideal plan.
I knew the woman wouldn’t be too far distant, so rapidly made my preparations. First of all, I tore a page from my notebook after scribbling some words on it. I pinned under the saucer holding the candle so it couldn’t blow away on the breeze. Then I took some money out of my pocket and sat that beside the note. After taking a knitted jumper and a few extra supplies out of my pack, I put them next to the bag of bread and cheese.
I got up and walked away with a bounce in my step. I was excited and happy.
The next day, I was at work in my office at the factory where I was the Managing Director, when the door bell rang. A few minutes later the receptionist knocked at my door. “Come in!” I said.
“Sir, I have a lady to see you. She says you invited her here.”
My heart gave a flutter, but my countenance remained blank. “Bring her in please,” I replied.
“But Sir,” stuttered the receptionist, I can hardly do that… you see, she is clad in rags!”
“Why? What has that to do with it? I heard you tell me she came because I invited her… isn’t that right?”
The receptionist looked rather embarrassed, “Well, yes Sir, but I mean Sir, she is a frightful mess. She is in worn clothes, and she needs a bath… and Sir, I think you are too respectable a gentleman to have the likes of this disgraceful woman enter into your presence.
I stared at the red faced receptionist for fully a minute before replying. “So do you think I should turn this uncared for woman away? What reason shall I give?”
“Why Sir, it’s simple… just tell her that you have no need of people like her. She doesn’t meet the companies’ standards.” The receptionist looked very pious as she spoke. “We can use better stock than that!”
My jaw dropped as I heard her words. “I am disgusted!” I thundered, “You have lost your job, and your replacement shall be that poor uncared for woman outside.
“Before I send you away, I want to tell you something. Once upon a time, 2000 years ago, a man who had nothing died upon a cross for you and I. He was God Himself, who had come to earth to be born as a sinless child. Through Jesus Christ, we can be redeemed and washed in the blood of the Lamb.
“Jesus told us in Matthew 18 ‘….Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.’
“You have downgraded one of them, and as such I send you away just as he will send away those who discredit Him. The woman outside waiting to talk to me deserves to talk to me just the same as any sinner deserves, and will get it if they ask, instance admittance to the presence of God.
“I hereby banish you from my presence and ask for the lady outside to be sent in immediately. Thank-you and spend time thinking over what I have told you.”
The receptionist hung her head low and walked out the door. A couple of minutes a strange woman entered. She entered very meekly and shyly. “Sir,” she asked. “Are you the great man who wrote that note to me?”
“Yes my lady, it was I.”
Well Sir, I not very clever, and I don’t have much, but please know; I am at your service,” was the hesitant reply. “I don’t think there is much I can do for your company, but perhaps if you taught me I could learn… I am willing.”
“Very good,” I replied, “We shall start by giving you a brand new uniform, and then you shall be our new receptionist. You see, we are in desperate need of a new receptionist seeing the other one has just left.”
“Oh Sir, you shouldn’t do all this for me!” The ragged woman was blushing beneath the grime on her unwashed face. “I don’t deserve your kindness in the least!”
“Lady, nobody deserves love, but I serve a man who gives it freely. His name is Jesus Christ. He died for you and I so that we might have eternal life with him. As I honour and serve this man, it is my greatest pleasure to follow his example.”
I reached out to shake her hand. “That is the reason I offer you a job here… it is something my friend Jesus would do.”
The lady wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sir, do you think this man Jesus you speak of would like to be my friend too? If he can accept someone as worthless as I, he must be a marvellous person.”
I smiled as I said, “Never fear, Jesus said, ‘Seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened, ask and it shall be given. He is standing there, with his arms unfurled, waiting just for you! Accept him as the finest gift I can offer…”
By Adam R. B. Reeve
4th March 2011
Then I lay back and thought carefully. Who was the spy, and why would they watch me? I was alone, dozing in a lonely marsh, miles from civilisation. Where was the spy? As I lay there, I glanced all around as far as I could without moving… I just flicked my eyes without turning my head. But I could not see anyone.
Giving a huge yawn and a stretch, I sat up as naturally as I could. Ah! That was better. Now I could look around in comfort without appearing to suspect anything.
I looked at my watch and then reached for my haversack. Taking a cake of chocolate out I munched quietly whilst studying the situation. I still felt someone was watching me, and I suspected the spy to not be particularly far away. Every move I made was monitored… and it made the hair rise on the back of my neck to think of it. What if the person was a gunman? I shuddered to think of that! Was he aiming at my heart right then? Would I feel the stinging pain of death at any second?
These thoughts and more crept into my mind, creating a terrible feeling of fear and unrest. Unable to bear the suspense any longer, I gathered my things together and rose to my feet.
Throwing my pack over my shoulder and wrapping my jacket round my waist, I strode off with an easy gait. I wanted to give the unknown watcher no reason to suspect me.
I reached the fence that surrounded the open meadow where I had been resting, and cleared the wire with one leap. As I entered the trees, my nonchalant amble became a swift sprint for dense cover… the nearer and thicker the better!
As I dived headlong into a patch of thick brambles and fern, I was panting with fear. Why on earth should I, a grown man, be so scared of something I hadn’t even seen? After all, it may have just been a cow peeking through the hedge. I sat there covered in scratches thinking furiously. Why did I have such fear?
Feeling very gloomy and not a little stupid I gazed round at where I was sitting. Not far from where I was there was a small camp bed set up. It had a thin rug over the end of it. Nearby was a half burnt candle sitting in a saucer sitting on a weathered old packing case. There was an old bag with some food… not much, just a couple of oranges, a loaf of dry bread, and a lump of stale cheese. There were only two signs that gave some clue of the recent tenant. There was the straw hat sitting atop of the old stump next to the rickety bed. It was a women’s head piece. And there was a small mirror resting next to the candle stub. No man would worry enough about his looks to need a mirror out in this environment.
So why would a woman live in such squalid conditions? Could that have been the one who was spying on me earlier? So many puzzles and so many stories ran through my mind. Was she old or young? Was she a runaway from the local orphanage? Or was she one of the homeless from the nearby city? Nothing seemed to add up, so the only solution I could come up with was to find the poor woman… for poor she must be to have to live in this neglected state.
To find her posed a problem. How was I to locate her without scaring her… realising she had probably been spying on me earlier? I thought a bit, and then came up with a plan… the ideal plan.
I knew the woman wouldn’t be too far distant, so rapidly made my preparations. First of all, I tore a page from my notebook after scribbling some words on it. I pinned under the saucer holding the candle so it couldn’t blow away on the breeze. Then I took some money out of my pocket and sat that beside the note. After taking a knitted jumper and a few extra supplies out of my pack, I put them next to the bag of bread and cheese.
I got up and walked away with a bounce in my step. I was excited and happy.
The next day, I was at work in my office at the factory where I was the Managing Director, when the door bell rang. A few minutes later the receptionist knocked at my door. “Come in!” I said.
“Sir, I have a lady to see you. She says you invited her here.”
My heart gave a flutter, but my countenance remained blank. “Bring her in please,” I replied.
“But Sir,” stuttered the receptionist, I can hardly do that… you see, she is clad in rags!”
“Why? What has that to do with it? I heard you tell me she came because I invited her… isn’t that right?”
The receptionist looked rather embarrassed, “Well, yes Sir, but I mean Sir, she is a frightful mess. She is in worn clothes, and she needs a bath… and Sir, I think you are too respectable a gentleman to have the likes of this disgraceful woman enter into your presence.
I stared at the red faced receptionist for fully a minute before replying. “So do you think I should turn this uncared for woman away? What reason shall I give?”
“Why Sir, it’s simple… just tell her that you have no need of people like her. She doesn’t meet the companies’ standards.” The receptionist looked very pious as she spoke. “We can use better stock than that!”
My jaw dropped as I heard her words. “I am disgusted!” I thundered, “You have lost your job, and your replacement shall be that poor uncared for woman outside.
“Before I send you away, I want to tell you something. Once upon a time, 2000 years ago, a man who had nothing died upon a cross for you and I. He was God Himself, who had come to earth to be born as a sinless child. Through Jesus Christ, we can be redeemed and washed in the blood of the Lamb.
“Jesus told us in Matthew 18 ‘….Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.’
“You have downgraded one of them, and as such I send you away just as he will send away those who discredit Him. The woman outside waiting to talk to me deserves to talk to me just the same as any sinner deserves, and will get it if they ask, instance admittance to the presence of God.
“I hereby banish you from my presence and ask for the lady outside to be sent in immediately. Thank-you and spend time thinking over what I have told you.”
The receptionist hung her head low and walked out the door. A couple of minutes a strange woman entered. She entered very meekly and shyly. “Sir,” she asked. “Are you the great man who wrote that note to me?”
“Yes my lady, it was I.”
Well Sir, I not very clever, and I don’t have much, but please know; I am at your service,” was the hesitant reply. “I don’t think there is much I can do for your company, but perhaps if you taught me I could learn… I am willing.”
“Very good,” I replied, “We shall start by giving you a brand new uniform, and then you shall be our new receptionist. You see, we are in desperate need of a new receptionist seeing the other one has just left.”
“Oh Sir, you shouldn’t do all this for me!” The ragged woman was blushing beneath the grime on her unwashed face. “I don’t deserve your kindness in the least!”
“Lady, nobody deserves love, but I serve a man who gives it freely. His name is Jesus Christ. He died for you and I so that we might have eternal life with him. As I honour and serve this man, it is my greatest pleasure to follow his example.”
I reached out to shake her hand. “That is the reason I offer you a job here… it is something my friend Jesus would do.”
The lady wiped the tears from her eyes. “Sir, do you think this man Jesus you speak of would like to be my friend too? If he can accept someone as worthless as I, he must be a marvellous person.”
I smiled as I said, “Never fear, Jesus said, ‘Seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened, ask and it shall be given. He is standing there, with his arms unfurled, waiting just for you! Accept him as the finest gift I can offer…”
By Adam R. B. Reeve
4th March 2011