“I declare!” said teenager Mate Kent to her best friend Jessie Wells. “Won’t you be kind enough to tell me what is the matter with you? Do you know you are growing very queer and strange? Now, make a clean breast of it, and tell me what on earth is the trouble.”
“I’m ashamed,” burst forth Jessie, vehemently, “that is the trouble. Mate, you and I have been professors of religion for four years, and who would know it, unless they happened to come to church on Communion Sabbaths? What have we ever either of us done for Christ? How have we been different from everybody else? No wonder the other girls think I’m a hypocrite. I almost begin to think so myself. It’s all wrong, Mate. The Bible says, ‘Let your light shine before men;’ but I’m sure you and I don’t seem to have any to shine.”
Mate was silent from utter amazement. Scarcely anything could have astonished her more than this sudden outburst from Jessie. She did not speak another word, nor did Jessie, until they reached the latter’s gate. Then Jessie suddenly turned toward her and said, in a voice choked with feeling:
“Mate, let us begin at the beginning, and try again.”
And that’s exactly what Jessie did in Isabella’s novel Jessie Wells.
As soon as Jessie got to her bedroom she opened her Bible, and her eye immediately met these words:
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore, with loving kindness, have I drawn thee.”
Those blessed words of assurance renewed Jessie’s conviction to let her light shine for Christ from that moment on.
The Giveaway:
We’re giving away “Let Your Light Shine” card sets to three readers of Isabella’s blog!
Each set includes 50 beautifully illustrated cards, each with a Bible verse to inspire you or someone you love to let your light shine.
Use the cards in your daily devotions, share them with others as a message of encouragement, or carry them with you as a helpful way to memorize Scripture.
To enter the drawing, just leave a comment below or on Isabella’s Facebook page no later than midnight (EDT) tonight, September 21.
The three winners will be announced on Friday, September 22. Good luck!
If you haven’t yet read Isabella’s novel Jessie Wells, click here to go to Amazon.com where you can purchase an e-book version for only 99 cents!
This post is part of our 10-Year Blogiversary Celebration! Join us every weekday in September for a fun drawing, giveaway, or free read!
Isabella Alden 
I love “Jessie Wells”! And those cards look so nice. Perfect to slip into a card or give to a friend.
Another great book!
Please enter me in the giveaway! “Jessie Wells” looks like a lovely story. I already have it on my TBR list.
CutePolarBear
Fascinating!
Those cards sound lovely ❤️
I don’t think that I’ve read Jesse Wells yet. I’ll have to check it out! Thanks for the giveaways!
Thank you for another giveaway! What a different name – Mate. I wonder if it was in common use and how it was pronounced.
Another wonderful giveaway! What an unusual name for a girl – Mate. I wonder how common it was and how it was pronounced.