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Sacrifice Stories

 

Years ago there was a little one-room schoolhouse in the mountains of Virginia where the boys were so rough that no teacher had been able to handle them.

A young, inexperienced teacher applied, and the old director scanned him and asked: 'Young fellow, do you know that you are asking for an awful beating? Every teacher that we have had here for years has had to take one.

"I will risk it." he replied.

The first day of school came, and the teacher appeared for duty. One big fellow named Tom whispered: 'I won't need any help with this one. I can lick him myself.


What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?

The teacher said, "Good morning, boys, we have come to conduct school." They yelled and made fun at the top of their voices. "Now, I want a good school, but I confess that I do not know how unless you help me. Suppose we have a few rules. You tell me, and I will write them on the blackboard."

One fellow yelled, "No stealing!" Another yelled, "On time." Finally, ten rules appeared on the blackboard.

"Now," said the teacher, "a law is not good unless there is a penalty attached. What shall we do with one who breaks the rules?"

"Beat him across the back ten times without his coat on"' came the response from the class.

"That is pretty severe, boys. Are you sure that you are ready to stand by it?" Another yelled, "I second the motion," and the teacher said, "All right, we will live by them! Class, come to order!"

In a day or so, 'Big Tom' found that his lunch had been stolen. The thief was located-a little hungry fellow, about ten years old. "We have found the thief and he must be punished according to your rule-ten stripes across the back. Jim, come up here!" the teacher said.

The little fellow, trembling, came up slowly with a big coat fastened up to his neck and pleaded, "Teacher, you can lick me as hard as you like, but please, don't take my coat off!"


The little fellow, trembling, came up slowly with a big coat fastened up to his neck...

"Take your coat off," the teacher said. "You helped make the rules!"

"Oh, teacher, don't make me!" He began to unbutton, and what did the teacher see? The boy had no shirt on, and revealed a bony little crippled body.

"How can I whip this child?" he thought. 'But I must, I must do something if I am to keep this school. Everything was quiet as death.

"How come you aren't wearing a shirt, Jim?"

He replied, "My father died and my mother is very poor. I have only one shirt and she is washing it today, and I wore my brother's big coat to keep me warm."

The teacher, with rod in hand, hesitated. Just then 'Big Tom' jumped to his feet and said, "Teacher, if you don't object, I will take Jim's licking for him."

"Very well, there is a certain law that one can become a substitute for another. Are you all agreed?"

Off came Tom's coat, and after five strokes the rod broke! The teacher bowed his head in his hands and thought, "How can I finish this awful task?" Then he heard the class sobbing, and what did he see? Little Jim had reached up and caught Tom with both arms around his neck. "Tom, I'm sorry that I stole your lunch, but I was awful hungry. Tom, I will love you till I die for taking my licking for me! Yes, I will love you forever!"

To lift a phrase from this simple story, Jesus, my Redeemer, has taken "my licking for me" and yours for you.

Declared the prophet Isaiah:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: ...

"... He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:4-5).

-- Ensign Dec 2000 from the First Presidency Message

 

Jenny was a bright-eyed pretty five year old girl. One day when she and her mum was checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $5. How she loved those pearls. When she asked her mum if she could buy it for her, her mum said "well, it cost an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what, when we get home we can do a list of chores to help you pay for the necklace. And don't forget next weekend when grandma comes to visit she might give you a dollar coin, too." Jenny agreed and her mum bought her the plastice pearl necklace.

How she loved her pearl necklace. She wore them everywhere, at kindergarten, to bed, and even when she do an errand with her mum. The only time she doesn't wear them is when she takes a shower, because her mother told her it would turn her neck green.


her father asked Jenny again "Jenny, do you love me?...

Jenny have a loving father. Everynight he would Jenny her favourite story. One night after reading Jenny her favourite story, he asked her "Jenny, do you love me?" "Oh yes daddy, you know I love you" Jeny replied. He said "Well then, give me your pearls." "Oh no, not my pearls." Jenny answered. "But you can have Rosie, my favourite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me for my birthday. You can have Rosie if you want to, daddy." she added. "That's okay darling." Her father replied. He brushed her cheeks with a kiss good night "Sweet dreams little one."

A few days later after her story, her father asked Jenny again "Jenny, do you love me?" "Oh yes daddy, you know I love you." Jenny replied. Her father said "well then, give me your pearls." " Oh no daddy, not my pearls. But you have Robin, my toy horse. Her hair is so soft, and you can play and braid it and everything. You can have Robin if you want her daddy." Jenny replied. "That's okay darling." Her father brushed her cheeks with a kiss "Goodnight little one, God bless."

A week later, when her father went to Jenny's room to read her favourite story, Jenny's lips were trembling. She held out her hand and there was her beloved pearl necklace. Her father took the necklace on one hand, and on the other slip out from his pocket a velvet blue box. Inside were real genuine pearl necklace. He had had them all along, he was just waiting for Jenny to give up her cheap necklace.

So it is with our Father in Heaven, He want to bless us with real treasures in life. We need to think what we hold on to in our lives and ponder what God might give us in their place.

 

Imagine the following: It's a Wednesday night and you are at a church meeting when somebody runs in from the parking lot and says, "Turn on a radio, turn on a radio." And while the church listens, an announcement is made: "Two women are lying in a hospital dying from a mystery flu." Within hours it seems this thing just sweeps across the country. People are working around the clock trying to find an antidote. Nothing is working.

It's as though it's just sweeping in from everywhere. And then, all of a sudden the news comes out. The code has been broken. A cure can be found. A vaccine can be made. It's going to take the blood of somebody who hasn't been infected, and so, sure enough, all through different countries channels of emergency are broadcasting, everyone is asked to do one simple thing: Go to your local hospital and have your blood type taken. That's all we ask of you. When you hear the sirens go off in your neighbourhood, please make your way quickly, quietly, and safely to the hospitals.


...they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it.

Sure enough, when you and your family get down there late on that Friday night, there is a long line, and they've got nurses and doctors coming out and pricking fingers and taking blood and putting labels on it. Your wife and your children are out there, and they take your blood type and they say, "Wait here in the parking lot and if we call your name, you can be dismissed and go home." You stand around, scared, with your neighbours, wondering what in the world is going on and if this is the end of the world.

Suddenly a young man comes running out of the hospital screaming. He's yelling a name and waving a clipboard. What? He yells it again! And your son tugs on your jacket and says, Daddy, that's me. Before you know it, they have grabbed your boy. Wait a minute. Hold on! And they say, "It's okay, his blood is clean. His blood is pure. We want to make sure he doesn't have the disease. We think he has the right type."

Five tense minutes later, out come the doctors and nurses, crying and hugging one another- some are even laughing. It's the first time you have seen anybody laugh in a week, and an old doctor walks up to you and says, "Thank you, sir. Your son's blood type is perfect. It's clean, it is pure, and we can make the vaccine." As the word begins to spread all across that parking lot full of folks, people are screaming, praying, laughing and crying. But then the grey-haired doctor pulls you and you wife aside and says, "May we see you for a moment? We didn't realize that the donor would be a minor and we need, we need you to sign a consent form." You begin to sign and then you see that the number of pints of blood to be taken is empty.

"How many pints?"

And that is when the old doctor's smile fades and he says, "We had no idea it would be little child. We weren't prepared. We need it all!"

"But...You don't understand. We are talking about the world here. Please sign. We need it all!"

"But can't you give him a transfusion?"

"If we had clean blood we would. Can you sign? Would you sign?" In numb silence, you do. Then they say,

"Would you like to have a moment with him before we begin?" Can you walk back? Can you walk back to that room where he sits on a table saying, "Daddy? Mummy? What's going on?" Can you take his hands and say, "Son, your mummy and I love you, and we would never ever let anything happen to you that didn't just have to be. Do you understand that?" And when that old doctor comes back in and says, "I'm sorry, we've got to get started. People all over the world are dying."

Can you leave? Can you walk out while he is saying, "Dad? Mum? Dad? Why have you forsaken me?" And then next week, when they have the ceremony to honour your son, and some folks sleep through it, and some folks don't even come because they go to the lake, and some folks come with a pretentious smile and just pretend to care. Would you want to jump up and say, "MY SON DIED FOR YOU! DON'T YOU CARE?" Is that what GOD wants to say? "MY SON DIED FOR YOU. DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I CARE?" Father, seeing it from your eyes breaks our hearts. Maybe now we can begin to comprehend the great Love you have for us.

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