A Poor, Mushed Creature

Psalm 112:6-10

6Such people will not be overcome by evil circumstances.

Those who are righteous will be long remembered.

7They do not fear bad news;

they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.

8They are confident and fearless

and can face their foes triumphantly.

9They give generously to those in need.

Their good deeds will never be forgotten.

They will have influence and honor.

10The wicked will be infuriated when they see this.

They will grind their teeth in anger;

they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

In Silas Marner, George Eliot’s classic novel, the title character became a recluse, his personality twisted by a problem with church “friends.” So he fled to a remote village. There, as a miser, he retreated within himself. “Year after year, Silas Marner lived in solitude, his guineas [coins] rising in the iron pot, and his life narrowing and hardening itself more and more. . . . His life had reduced itself to weaving and hoarding.” Another character in the novel describes him as “a poor mushed creature.”

And so he was. Having been hurt, he became a hoarder, and then his whole life hardened on him. The characterization of the godly in Psalm 112 is just the opposite. The godly are compassionate and confident.

But if you are similar to Silas Marner, how do you turn yourself around? How do you halt the inward spiral?

In Marner’s case it was an orphan girl named Eppie who opened up a larger world to him. And this is what Jesus came to do as well. He can heal your wounded spirit, give you something to live for, and open you up to a larger world where you can live compassionately and confidently.

A whispered word may touch the heart and call it back to life.

A look of love bid sin depart and calm unholy strife.

No act falls fruitless; none can tell how vast its power may be.

Nor what results enfolded dwell within it silently.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Bible Networking

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 to learn how generosity affects the giver. Notice how the apostle Paul refers to Psalm 112:9 in 2 Corinthians 9:9.

Notable Quotable

“Charity empties the heart of one gift that it may make room for a larger.”

J. PARKER