Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Illustrate the meaning of "Actions Speak Louder than Words" (without using the actual phrase). (02/21/08)
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TITLE: Treasured Coins | Previous Challenge Entry
By Nancy Quinn
02/22/08 -
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“And peace to you, my friend. I am walking slowly these days as you are. I feel I will never get used to these garments we are required to wear. But the Lord is now my husband, and they do serve as a blessing to remind me of His constant presence.”
“Yes indeed. My Lord has been protecting me from Simeon this week. I wish he would remember the lesson from Zechariah 7:10 that was taught last week at temple.” The two women filled the jugs with water and slowly made their way to their homes, calling to their friends along the way with greetings of peace.
“I will stop by soon and we’ll go to the fields this morning before the sun sets too high in the sky.” Abigail smiled and nodded goodbye to her friend.
“Ah, Abigail is such a treasured friend,” she whispered a prayer of thanks to her Savior as she set the heavy water jug down. She took a moment and tried to straighten her back again as she rubbed her arthritic fingers. Looking around at her meager home, she ignored her hunger pains and hoped the fields would yield some grain for her today. Although the reapers were supposed to leave sheaves in the fields for widows, many times she came home with a nearly empty basket to show for her long hours.
The glint from the small wooden table caught her eye and she walked over to get her basket and then paused. She touched her fingers to her lips and then lightly touched a coin lovingly. A knock made her jump and she invited Abigail in. “I am ready; I guess we better start now since we old women take so long to reach those fields!” The two friends laughed and reminisced about their husbands, and stories of their grandchildren floated across the rows of grain as they slowly added pieces of grain to their baskets. She looked at her basket as the sun’s hot rays reached directly overhead. “Yes, I should be able to make a cake of bread with this.” She mumbled under her breath, looking forward to quieting her hunger pains.
Slow steps and arm in arm, the friends helped each other through the field toward their tiny village. She sent another prayer up to her Savior to thank him for his compassion and love for her. How blessed she was! With a promise to go to temple together the next day, she waved to Abigail and stepped into her small home to make her dinner.
Abigail stopped by to pick up her friend the next morning and they found their way into the long line near the temple. It moved slowly toward the treasury. “Ah, Simeon. How slowly he puts his money in and always looks around like he’s looking for someone.” The heavy and agonizingly slow clinks finally came to an end. She sighed and her stiff fingers reached into her small bag for the two coins. The little coins hardly made a sound as they dropped into the box and she moved toward the gathering crowd. She felt the Holy Spirit’s presence wash over her, so was oblivious to the lesson taking place behind her.
His kind eyes shone as he smiled lovingly toward her. His disciples clung to each word like treasures to their hearts. “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
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You did a good job of showing her state of widowhood and poverty.
Good job, keep writing.
Besides that, touching story. Nice job fleshing out a character who was barely mentioned in the Bible.