It's a story about a well-loved knight named Sir Cleges and his wife who each year gave a Christmas feast to all of their neighbors in their village. As years went by, they began running out of money, but instead of stopping the tradition, they mortgaged their farm to continue the feasts until one day they were forced to sell their farm to pay their debts.

When the Christmas feasts ended, all of their friends one-by-one turned up their noses when they met Sir Cleges in town. And as is often true in life, the Cleges' found themselves alone when their ability to provide the great feasts ended.

The next page is my favorite. It's an illustration of a kind faced Cleges kneeling in the snow beneath a cherry tree with the following words:

These simple words summarize many chapters in a book I recently read by John Flavel called All Things for Good. Flavel convinces you in his book, that God often times brings great trials into the lives of His children to wean us of excessive love of ourselves and to bring us to a deeper dependence on Jesus and a deeper yearning for Home.

What may appear to be difficulties that unravel our lives - are many times the very things that God uses to bring about our salvation. Though we may not believe it at the time, may we say as Joseph did in his trials, 'Lord, thou hast said that thou wilt do me good' (Gen. 32:12).

I thank you sweet Christ Child that I am poor. For when I was rich, I was proud. I loved the praises my good deeds earned near as much as I loved doing good.