The Last Line of the Poem

Florence was learning a short poem for the school assembly. She knew the first three lines, but the last one disappeared from her memory whenever she stood in front of someone.

After forgetting it twice at home, she folded the paper and pushed it under a cushion. She told Dad she was finished trying. The assembly was still several days away, but she could already imagine everyone laughing.

Dad found the paper and sat beside her. He suggested learning just the last line before joining it to the others. They read it slowly, clapped its rhythm, and covered one word at a time. Florence made another mistake, then tried again without starting an argument about quitting.

The next evening she remembered the line while standing by the kitchen door. On assembly day she paused halfway through the poem. Her teacher gave her a calm smile, and Florence continued. She did not say every word as smoothly as she hoped, but she reached the end.

At home she put the paper in her reading folder instead of hiding it under a cushion. She had learned that a mistake did not have to become the end of her effort.

God's Word encourages His people to rise after trouble. We can accept help and continue with the good work before us. Trying again is often a quiet choice made before anyone sees the finished result.