It was story time again and the little family on the farm were all gathered around Mother as she settled down to tell them another story of her childhood.
Mother was going to tell how when she was just four years old, she had been given two pennies to spend and was so happy as she went hippity-hop down the sidewalk to the candy store. As the children settled down to listen, she continued, "It was the first time I had ever gone shopping alone. I trotted straight up to the gumball machine on the counter of the corner drug store and fitted one of my pennies into the slot just as I had watched others do, and then I pulled the lever over till it clicked. Out rolled a nice pink gumball!
“This I popped into my mouth; then I inserted the other penny I had into the machine and pulled back on the lever again. A green one dropped into my hand. This one was for Mommy.
“Having gotten what I came for and my money gone, I left the drug store and hurried for home. The warm summer sun and all the hippity-hops made my hands sweaty. I stopped to change the sticky gumball to the other hand. My hand was green where the color from the gumball had rubbed off. I sampled it with the pink tip of my tongue. Mmmmm—it was minty flavored and good—almost better than my pink one was! Mommy would like it, I knew. I skipped along another block. By then the other hand was feeling sticky, so I paused to change it again. This time my left hand was all green inside. I licked it off and then sniffed the gumball too. It smelled so good. Candy was a special treat at our house, for we were poor. Besides, Mommy was sick and had to stay in bed all the time now. In fact, I had become so used to seeing her there that I hardly gave it a thought. My sharp teeth bit into the side of the gumball again as I walked along.
“Mother's eyes twinkled as she smiled at the sorry looking gumball I presented to her. ‘Thank you, my little sweetheart. My, my! I wonder what could have happened to this poor gumball.' My face turned red as I said, 'I—dropped it on a rock, and—it broke.' Then I hurried outside.
“The smile faded from mother's face and her heart became sad. She was sorry she had even noticed or remarked about the condition of my gift; it was so childlike. What really hurt was that this was the first lie that she had ever known me to tell.
“How true is God's Word which plainly says,
“I went to the side of the house where I had been making mud pies. I stirred up the dirt and water and made some little cakes. These I decorated with rocks for raisins and left them in a row for the sun to bake. But I was troubled. I did not sing as usual, and I felt that I must stay outdoors where Mommy wouldn't watch me. I felt very lonely. My hands were all muddy, so I went to the outside faucet and washed them off. Then I sat down and tried to pick some of the dirt out from under my fingernails. As I worked on them I noticed a little white mark on one of my nails. It looked like chalk, but though I rubbed and rubbed, it would not come off.
“Indoors Mother was praying. The Lord was her Comforter as well as her Saviour, for she had long trusted Him for all things. She prayed for wisdom, and that He would help her lead me to Himself before He took her Home.
“She became aware of a few slow footsteps. 'Mommy, what's this white thing on my fingernail?’ ‘Well, let's see' said Mommy taking the little hand in hers. 'When I was a little girl and went to school, one day I saw something just like that on mine too. My girl friend told me it was because I told a lie. Perhaps it's only a lack of calcium or maybe a bruise. What do you think made it?'
“I was uncomfortable again—I didn't answer. Mother went on to say that the last time the doctor was there to see her, he told her that she wasn't going to stay here very much longer. Soon she would be leaving me to go to live with Jesus, and she wanted to be sure that I would be coming to heaven too. I wanted to look forward to seeing her again up there.
‘No one can ever enter that happy place with sin on them though, you know—for God is holy' Mother went on. 'What is sin?' I asked her. 'Sin is getting my own way rather than following the way of God as given in the Word of God. God tells us not to lie or steal, or speak bad words, or do unkind things. And even one sin would shut out my little girl forever.'
“My face was hid in my mother's arms. I cried, 'Mommy, I didn't drop the gum, I just took a teeny bite. Will God shut me out?' He wouldn't shut you out for tasting the gum, because Uncle Will gave you the pennies to buy it with, it was all yours anyway. But He would shut you out for telling a lie about it. Let's just confess it to the Lord and thank Him for dying on the cross to bear our punishment and all God's judgment against sin. His blood cleanses us from all sin, and when we confess our sins He will wash them all away. Once we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we belong to Him and nothing can take us out of His hand.' (John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)).