In the far-away land of Argentina there once lived a little girl whom we shall call Roma.
Every Lord’s Day Roma went to a Sunday school some kind missionaries had for boys and girls. There she heard God’s Word, and the story of His wonderful love in sending Jesus to die for our sins. Now, as Roma was very bright and clever, she soon had learned to say from memory one hundred verses of Scripture! Always she was in her place in Sunday school, but week after week went by and Roma was not saved. Indeed, she thought herself quite a good little girl, and did not see her great need as a sinner. But she was soon to find out how wicked was her heart, and how much she needed to be washed in Jesus’ precious blood.
Near Roma’s home there lived a dear old lady for whom Roma often went messages. Quite often the errand was to the store. One day Roma kept back some of the change, and when her friend did not miss the money, she did it again and again until she had kept back at least a whole dollar!
Now in Argentina the summers are very, very warm so one night, as Roma was getting ready for bed, she decided, in order to get the night breeze, to pull her bed over to the large open window. This she did and jumped into bed. As soon as she lay down, however, a large bright star caught her eye. It seemed to look right down at her, and Roma grew very uncomfortable under its steady gaze. It seemed more like an eye than a star—like God’s eye peering down, down into her very heart! And what did He see there? Ah, that secret sin she had been hiding, and many more sins too. So ashamed did the star make her feel, and unhappy too, that she got up and pulled her bed away from the window, but on lying down again she found the star still gazing at her with its quiet, steady gaze. How ugly it made her know her sin to be!
On awaking next morning the first thing she remembered was her sin. Yes, she was a sinner, and God knew all about her sins! So miserable did she become under her load that everyone wondered what had happened to the once merry child.
She determined to tell her Sunday school teacher about it, so on Sunday after the lesson, she said,
“Miss—,may I speak to you alone?”
“Yes, dear.”
When the other pupils were gone, Roma poured out the story of her sin-burdened heart, and together the teacher and pupil knelt at the throne of grace and told the Lord all about it Miss—told the child that Christ had died for her sins, and that if she believed this, her sins would all be gone, for Gods Word says,
Roma did believe, and went home with a light heart and a happy step. She told her mother the whole story, and then what do you think she did? She went to the old lady from whom she had stolen the money, and confessed her sin to her. With her kind mother’s help, she was able to pay back what she had wrongfully taken. From that time forth Roma lived for her Lord and Saviour, and grew up to tell others of the One Who loved her and gave Himself for her.
ML 02/28/1943