Here a Little, There a Little....           

                                 Isaiah 28:10

by Debbie Soechting

A little over 31 years ago my husband and I were in Preaching Training School at Brown Trail church of Christ, where he was preparing to preach the Gospel.

Upon our graduation in 1993, the women in our class were presented a book by Pauline Cain Hatcher, titled, Here a Little, There a Little, and was distributed by the Broadway church of Christ in Garland, Tx., and is now available on Amazon.   This book is rich with godly information and advice.  In it, she shared how she endured many trials and hardships, which began for her in 1943.  She spent countless hours in and out of the hospital due to various physical ailments, using that time to study the Bible.  She has since passed on to her reward. 

She titled her book, Here a Little, There a Little, in part because she believed that God's people do not learn His will overnight, but as Isaiah said in Isaiah 28:10, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little". 

The following is an excerpt from the book, a poem she wrote one night during a time she said she was feeling sorry for herself because of the trials and pain she was enduring.

Three Others

Some times in the nighttime, when filled with pain,

When wondering if my life has been lived in vain,

Into my mind come thoughts of three

Who had greater pain, and it strengthens me.

Job did not suffer because of wrong;

He always his Lord obeyed;

He vanquished Satan in every test,

But pain was the price he paid.

The apostle Paul, though beaten with stripes,

Rejoiced that he did no wrong;

Pain did not defeat him; he cried in triumph,

"For when I am weak, I am strong!"

The agony of Jesus upon the cross

Put all other suffering to shame;

Yet he willingly suffered for you and me;

How precious is His name!

So my nights are not lonely when filled with pain,

As I think of three others who lived not in vain;

Chastening of God is because of His love;

It purifies and fits us for heaven above.

-Pauline Cain Hatcher

Lessons