The Strong family were very fond of lettuce. But they lived in a little house with no garden of their own, and they couldn’t always afford to go to the store to buy it.
One day, Mrs. Strong happened to be talking with her neighbor, Mrs. Vincent, who had a row of fine heads of lettuce growing in her garden.
“By the way,” said Mrs. Vincent, “we have more lettuce than we can use, and you are welcome to help yourself to what we have in the garden any time.”
“Thanks!” said Mrs. Strong. “We are all fond of lettuce, and I’ll have Billy come over and pick a few heads as soon as he comes home from school, if that’s all right.”
“Certainly, but I ought to tell you that a boy is coming one of these days to dig up the garden, so don’t wait too long, or they will be turned under.”
Billy was a bit late coming home from school that day, and he was eager to play with his friend, so the lettuce was left till tomorrow morning. The next morning, there just wasn’t time before hurrying off to school; and again there was just so much to do after school that Billy didn’t get over to the Vincent garden. They could still see the fresh green lettuce through the fence, and so they were sure that all was well.
The third day Billy went over with a knife and a basket to bring home the lettuce. A strange boy was in the garden, leaning on the handle of his shovel, and wiping the perspiration from his forehead. And the lettuce was nowhere to be seen!
“Where did you put the lettuce?” cried Billy.
“Mrs. Vincent told me to dig anything that was left, and turn it under.
So it’s down there under the dirt,” said the lad, pointing to the freshly dug soil.
Billy was just about to scold the lad, but then he stopped and thought a bit. Hadn’t he been told before to get those nice heads before they were turned under? Hadn’t he been just too busy with things that didn’t really matter? He was ashamed to go home and tell his mother, but there was no way out — it had to be done.
After all, a few heads of lettuce is not a very serious loss. But it makes me think of something far more serious. And there are many Billys, and Franks, and Walters—yes, and Marys, and Peggys too, who are doing something a great deal more foolish than the Billy of our story. God is offering something so very wonderful I can hardly tell you about it. God is offering you the salvation of your soul, and a home in glory! Could anything be more important? And yet I know boys and girls who are busy with school and play, and a lot of other things, and they have not yet accepted God’s wonderful gift. They intend to some day, but it may be too late. Yes, the day is quickly coming, when the Lord Jesus will return from heaven and gather out of this world all those who have accepted Him as their Saviour, and then it will be forever too late. Instead of a home in glory, there is only the darkness and sorrow of the lake of fire. I would not tell you this if it were not true. But God loves you so much that He begs you again and yet again, to come to the Lord Jesus now while there is yet time.
ML 09/09/1956