We were riding in a jeep over the dusty mountain roads of Bolivia, through miles and miles of desert. There was nothing green, just lots of tumbleweed and an occasional hut, then more miles of emptiness and another little hut. We wondered what the people did for a living away out here in the desert.
As we came to the top of a high hill with our trail of dust rising behind us, we looked down into the valley and saw a child running toward the road. That’s the way it is in that part of Bolivia. Anyone who sees a vehicle coming heads for the road as fast as he can . . . just in case there will be something there for him.
As we watched the child running with his arms reaching up, we saw him fall and get up again. Then, because he was watching our jeep and not looking where he was going, he fell again into the tumbleweed. We lost sight of him for a moment, but soon he was up and running again. He wasn’t going to let anything stop him in his race toward the road. A couple more times he stumbled and fell, but immediately he was up and running again. He reached the road just as our jeep passed the spot where he was. Someone threw him an apple. He caught it.
“I caught it! I caught it!” he shouted, hugging the apple to his chest.
What eagerness! What thankfulness, and for so little.
The gift of God. Have you caught it? Don’t miss it! It is of more value than any other thing. It cost God His only begotten Son, yet for you it’s free! “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)).
Don’t let anything stop you from accepting God’s loving gift. Hug it to your chest for your very own. You will thank Him forever. “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:1515Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15)).
ML-06/07/1996