Some years ago I knew a lady who had been sick for two years, she had only one child, a little boy.
One afternoon. as I was sitting by her side, little Harry came and put his arms round his mother’s neck, and laying his head on her breast said “I love you, mother. I wish you were not sick.”
This soothed Harry’s mother, who loved her little boy. But an hour later the same boy came into the room all aglow, shaking the snow from his feet, and said, “O mother! may I go skating? Edward and Charlie are going.”
“No, Harry dear,” said his mother feebly.
“It is too bad,” sobbed the boy.
“I would like my little boy to go,” said his mother, “but I feel sure the ice is not strong enough yet;” then, looking at Harry, whose face was covered with frowns,
“You said you loved me, now be a good boy.”
“No, I don’t love you now, mother,” said the boy, going-out and slamming the door.
We thought no more of the boy, but I noticed the tears falling fast upon her pillow, and she sank into a light sleep.
In a little while we heard the muffled steps of some men coming into the house, as if carrying something.
What had happened?
Simply this: Harry had left his mother in anger, and in direct disobedience had gone to skate. The ice, as his mother had said, was very thin; it broke, and let Harry into the water. He was only saved from a watery grave by the prompt action of these men who were near the spot.
I closed the door, feeling there was more danger for her life than the boy’s, and coming softly back to her bed, she said,
“I heard them, it is Harry; O, I knew he went. Is he dead?”
She did not seem to hear my answer, but a violent fit of coughing came on during which she passed away from this world to be forever with the Lord.
In an hour’s time I went to the boy’s room to see how he was. I could not tell him then that his mother had gone. He said,
“I wish I hadn’t told mother I didn’t love her; tomorrow I’ll tell her I do,” and the child sobbed. The next day he came running to her room and said,
“Mother, I do love you,” and leaned over to kiss her lips, but they were cold and lifeless, there was no response, also the hand he touched was cold and heavy. His sorrow was very real as he repeated,
“Mother, I do love you, I do love you,” but it was now too late to hear her voice again on earth.
After this, the boy’s whole life was changed, he has always since been sober and sad. He is now an old man, but he can never forget that one great act of disobedience in his boyhood, and the last words that his mother heard him say, and which he would have given all the world to recall, or to be able to apologize for.
Will the boys and girls who read this story remember that every-act of disobedience, naughty behavior or cross words are like arrows in their mothers’ hearts; and more than that, God takes account of it, for He has said,
“Children, obey your parents.”
On the other hand, such is God’s great love to us, that though we grieve Him with our sins, yet He gave His dear Son to suffer and die on Calvary’s tree that all our sins might be washed away by His precious blood, and we made fit for the holy presence of God.
It is, however, by faith in. Christ that forgiveness and blessing, comes to us; hence, dear reader, let me urge you not to delay in trusting yourself to that blessed One who has proved His love by bearing our sins in His own body on the tree.
Then you will indeed be able to say,
The Apostle Paul it was who made use of these words, and we may use them too, if we first own the Lord Jesus as our own Saviour.
ML 02/27/1938