Pause for Lent- an extract from Little Town on the Prairie

Apologies for this post being a day late.  We ended up staying in London all day and not returning until past 11pm.  It was bizarrely wonderful because we were meeting CBC's good friend from Manchester for lunch and as we walked by St Martin in the Fields church, we met his Brother walking along, talking on the phone to his Mother about us! He was just leaving his friend and was wondering what to do.  The odds of meeting someone you really wanted to see at the perfect timing in busy London are astonishing.

Anyway, for my Pause for Lent, i wanted to share this short passage I read in the Little Town on the Prairie book which tells of author, Laura Ingalls' childhood and adolescence in the pioneering age.  These books are just beautifully told- I love hearing of all the trials, hardships, joys and innovations in the Ingalls family's life.  Their faith, love for each other and God are evident through the story and I loved this particular extract:

"We are all desperately wicked and inclined to evil as the sparks fly upwards," said Mary, using the Bible words.  "But that doesn't matter."

"What!" cried Laura.

"I mean I don't believe we ought to think so much about ourselves, about whether we are bad or good,"Mary explained.

"But, my goodness!  How can anybody be good without thinking about it?" Laura demanded.

"I don't know, I guess we couldn't," Mary admitted.

"I don't know how to say what I mean very well.  But - it isn't so much thinking, as - as just knowing. Just being sure of the goodness of God."

Laura stood still, and so did Mary, because she dared not step without Laura's arm in hers guiding her.  there Mary stood in the midst of the green and flowery miles of grass rippling in the wind, under the great blue sky and white clouds sailing, and she could not see.  Everyone knows that God is good.  But it seemed to Laura then that Mary must be sure of it in some special way.

"You are sure, aren't you?" Laura said.

"Yes, I am sure of it now all the time," Mary answered.  ""The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  he maketh me to lie down in green pastures.  he leadeth me beside the still waters." I think that's the loviest psalm of all.  Why are we stopping here?  I don't smell violets."

(The little town on the Prairie- p11-12)

The love and understanding and simple but strong faith of this girl who Scarlet Fever left blind. The wisdom and understanding.  Thinking about sin and things we do wrong is so important, but I like her approach to it.  If we truly know God's goodness, somehow that helps us to think and address our wrongdoing in a different way.  In a positive and joyful way.