Winnie was a delicate little child. Her father and mother died when she was very young. Then a kind Christian aunt took her to live with her. Her house was situated in a lovely part of the country, surrounded by pretty woods, but no houses were near, so Winnie had no playmates. But with her dolls and other toys she seemed quite happy and content.
A young lady who lived nearby sometimes took Winnie to spend the afternoon with her. Then on Sunday afternoons this young lady had a class for little ones, to which Winnie always went. When she was about six years old she began to show signs of much anxiety about her salvation.
Winnie had learned at that Sunday school class, and also from her aunt, that she needed to be saved before she could go to heaven. The uncertainty of life, and the great eternity beyond, seemed to take an early hold of Winnie’s mind. One of the earliest verses she was able to repeat was:
Days, months, and years must have an end,
Eternity has none;
‘Twill always have as long to spend,
As when it first begun.
When Winnie was sitting alone with her aunt one evening, she asked, “Auntie, are you afraid of eternity?”
“No, my dear,” replied her aunt. “I do not need to be, because to me it will be an eternity of happiness. I am going to be with Jesus and all His redeemed ones. I used to be afraid of that word ‘eternity’ before I was converted, for then I knew that if I died it would be eternal misery and weeping. But after the day that I came to Jesus as a poor lost sinner and claimed Him as my Saviour, eternity has been a word of great delight to me.”
“Would Jesus take me if I came to Him, Auntie, and would He take me to heaven too?” earnestly inquired dear little Winnie.
“Yes, He says He will, Winnie, and whatever He says is sure. Long ago, He spoke the word from heaven, ‘Whosoever will may come,’ and ‘whosoever’ means Winnie, or anybody else.”
The next morning when Winnie came downstairs to breakfast, a hay smile played on her face.
“What makes my little maiden smile so this morning,” said her Uncle Jim.
Throwing her tiny arms around his neck, Winnie said, “‘Cause Jesus has taken me, and I am not afraid of eternity now.” Winnie had truly come to Jesus; He had received her, and she was saved. She went off to school that morning singing in the gladness of her heart:
Oh, what can equal joy divine and what can sweeter be,
Than knowing that this Saviour’s mine
For all eternity.
The next Sunday afternoon, Winnie stood with her Bible in her hand waiting the coming of her teacher. She had news to tell her, which she knew would make her glad. When Miss Moore came around the corner, Winnie ran to meet her and, putting her arms around her, said, “Jesus has taken me, and I am safe for eternity.” Miss Moore lifted the little girl up in her arms, kissed and hugged her, and as they walked along hand in hand together, she heard Winnie tell how anxious she had been for many days, how the long eternity had troubled her, and how at last she came to Jesus and was taken by Him and made safe for eternity.
Reader, are you safe for eternity?
ML 05/09/1965