WILLIAM was a bright little fellow of eight, who lived in a large town on the seacoast. His great delight was to go down to the beach and dig in the sand or throw stones in the waves. Sometimes his father would take him out for a row, and oh how happy he was then!
Now, although William was quite a little fellow, he was old enough to know that he had done a great deal that was wrong. Often he would lie awake at night in fear. He was afraid that he might die, and know that only those whom God had cleansed from their sins would go to heaven. He was so anxious to have his sins forgiven that every night he would repeat over and over again very earnestly, “Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”
One evening his elder cousin asked him if he was one of God’s little lambs. But William could only hang his head and answer, “No.” That night he was more frightened than ever. He felt sure that he should die, and knew that he was not saved. The next day was Sunday and William went to Sunday school with his pants.
Suddenly, as he was coming home, there came over him such a sense of the Lord’s love for him that he felt that his sins were forgiven. He could believe that Jesus died even for him. Oh, what joy was his! With difficulty he kept from calling out, and it was only shyness that held him from telling his parents what had happened.
But as soon as home was reached, he said, “You know that happy feeling that comes over you when your sins are forgiven—well, I feel it now!”
Yes, William was saved, and when he knelt by his bed that night, he no longer asked God to wash him “whiter than snow,” as he had already praised Him for doing so. But he could ask for help in his new life, and this he did. Years have gone by since that eventful Sunday and William is no longer a little fellow, but he can never forget the joy of that day, the happiest in his life.
ML-05/31/1964