Anne of Green Gables...

This excerpt is Anne speaking about the new minister's wife , Mrs. Allan.

"Mrs. Allan said we ought always to try to influence other people for good. She talked so nice about everything. I never knew before that religion was such a cheerful thing. I always thought it was kind of melancholy, but Mrs. Allan's isn't, and I'd like to be a Christian if I could be one like her. I wouldn't want to be one like Mr. Superintendent Bell."

"It's very naughty of you to speak so about Mr. Bell," said Marilla severely. "Mr. Bell is a real good man."

"Oh, of course he's good," agreed Anne, "but he doesn't seem to get any comfort out of it. If I could be good I'd dance and sing all day because I was glad of it. I suppose Mrs. Allan is too old to dance and sing and of course it wouldn't be dignified in a minister's wife. But I can just feel she's glad she's a Christian and that she'd be one even if she could get to heaven without it."

I love how Anne states things so bluntly. Especially, where Christian subjects are concerned, she's always being reprimanded by Marilla for saying something "inappropriate." More often than not, she has actually stumbled upon a great truth, but she just says it so differently that she tends to make Christians uncomfortable.

I think that's the case with this quote. Anne says, "Oh of course he's good, but he doesn't seem to get any comfort out of it." As Christians we've been given the greatest gift. Anne calls it being "good", but I think most Christians would use the word "righteous". The word "righteousness" has many connonations among Christians, but most simply it means that our relationship with the Father God has been made right! Our renewed relationship with the Father certianly effects eternity, but we sometimes forget that it also effects the present. So maybe today I'll join Anne and "dance and sing all day" because of the great gift of relationship that we've been given.

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