Giving the Best

Eleanor Herr Boyd tells the following story in her book, "The Gospel in Leviticus": A missionary in India was hurrying along the street one day by the Ganges River when he saw a native woman standing looking at the water. In her arms was a sickly, whining infant, while at her side stood a beautiful, strong, healthy child. The mother looked from one to the other and then at the river. The missionary stopped beside her and engaged her in conversation. Finding that she was in deep distress and trying to make up her mind to give an offering to her god, the Ganges River, the missionary knowing what this meant tried to dissuade her, telling her of the love of Jesus and trying to point her to the One who had made the supreme sacrifice for her. But she only shook her head.

After a time the missionary had to leave her to go to other duties. When through, he hastened back by the same route, hoping to find the woman and again tell her of the love of Jesus and His willingness to save her.

Soon he saw her in the distance with the sickly child in her arms, but the beautiful boy who had stood at her side was gone. He knew what had happened; to appease her god she had thrown her child to the crocodiles in the turbid river. She was sitting rocking herself to and fro, the tears streaming down her face, and moaning as she wept.

"Oh, why did you do it?" the missionary wailed.

"I made an offering to my god," she replied, "and maybe he will hear me."

"But why, if you had to do it, did you give your beautiful boy? Why did you not give the sickly little one?"

The woman rose to her feet, drew herself erect, and proudly made reply, "We give our gods our best."

-- William Moses Tidwell, "Effective Illustrations."