Eight-year-old Heather and nine-year-old Emily lived on a farm in Michigan. They had Christian parents who brought them up in the fear of the Lord. They also went to Sunday school every week where they learned more about the Lord Jesus and His love for sinners. They were taught that the Bible tells us that each one of us is a sinner until we confess our sins to the Lord Jesus and believe that He died on Calvary’s cross to put away those sins. Then we become a part of the family of God. This is called being saved. Those of us who are saved should want to please Him. One way is by obeying our parents. “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord.” Colossians 3:2020Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:20).
School was out for the summer, and the girls found many things to do on the farm. A favorite pastime was to bring their dolls and what little doll furniture they had to the empty corn crib and set up a playhouse. This kept them busy for hours. Then there were the rabbits and their cuddly baby bunnies to play with. The farm was lots of fun.
One hot morning in August the girls seemed bored with their usual outdoor activities and wandered into the kitchen where Mother was busy fixing dinner. Dinner on the farm was a busy time for Mother. It had to be ready on time since Dad brought in his hired helpers, as the custom was in those days.
Mother was busy rolling out pie crusts for blueberry and peach pies. The girls spied her gold wedding ring on the windowsill above the sink. Immediately Heather had an idea.
“Mom, can we wear your ring for a little while?”
“No,” was Mother’s firm response. “It will slip off your fingers. It is too large and heavy and will get lost.”
“But we will be very careful with it,” explained Heather. “Can’t we have it for only five minutes?”
“Please,” added Emily. “We will only run around the house three times outside.”
Their pleadings continued until Mother, anxious to get them out of the kitchen, finally agreed, but said they could not take it outdoors, and only five minutes for each girl.
Gleefully, they took the prized possession and left the kitchen.
Heather clasped the ring tightly in her hand and put her hand in her apron pocket, saying, “I won’t ever let go of it. It will be safe in my pocket.” Out the door they went, taking the ring along, disobeying Mother’s strict orders to stay indoors with it.
When the two girls went out the door, where Mother couldn’t see them, who should they discover sitting on the grass waiting for them to come out to play but the Graham children, their school friends who lived down the road. Immediately the ring and their promise to Mother were both forgotten.
For an hour they had great fun. It was seldom that the girls got to play with other children.
Soon Mr. Graham finished his farm business with Dad and stopped by the house to pick up his children who were having a super time romping on the lawn and swinging in the old elm tree with Heather and Emily. “Goodbye, and please come back soon,” the two girls called to them as the Graham car drove down the road.
Then suddenly, Emily and Heather remembered Mother’s ring. It wasn’t in Heather’s pocket anymore! How could the girls face Mother now! A Bible verse both girls had learned must have flashed across their young minds: “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:2323But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out. (Numbers 32:23).
“We’ll pray and ask the Lord to help us find it,” both girls agreed. Up to their room they hurried, closed the door and knelt down beside their beds. Back down the stairs they nearly flew. There wasn’t much time left now until dinner.
They combed the grass, searching carefully, but they did not find the ring.
The Lord did not help them to find the ring. Can you children guess why? Perhaps it was because the girls were disobedient on two counts: first, for going outside against Mother’s orders, and second, for not bringing the ring back when the time was up.
What sad results come into our lives when we disobey our parents and even as grownups when we disobey God’s Word, the Bible. Disobeying at any age is sin.
That ring was never found in their mother’s lifetime, but many years later the ring was discovered by a granddaughter who lived on the same farm with her parents. Emily and Heather are now both grandmothers and often tell this story to their grandchildren, hoping it will be used of the Lord Jesus to speak to their young hearts about how important it is to obey their parents all the time.
Next week we will tell about another wedding ring that was lost, but this one had a happy ending.
ML-12/18/1988