Often before bedtime the girls would coax Mother to tell them a story about when she was a little girl. One night before bed she told them this story: “I was only seven years old when my mother became very sick and died. My sister Sadie was five and Uncle Bob was sixteen. We lived in a little town called Long Prairie. Although our father loved us very much, it was hard for him to work and take care of two little girls, so Sadie and I went to live with our grandparents.
“I missed my mother very much and often remembered how she would hold me on her lap with her arms about me, when I was smaller. We would rock and sing hymns together.
“When we came to live with our grandparents, they let us go to Sunday school wherever we pleased, so Sadie and I became ‘Sunday school tramps.’ There were several churches in town, so we tried each one. Especially at Christmastime, we would go to one in the morning and another in the afternoon so we would be sure to get in on the Christmas ‘treats’ at both!
“One day I believe God guided us to try a plain, little building with a sign out in front that said simply, ‘Gospel Hall ... Welcome!’
“Sadie and I immediately loved the motherly teacher who taught the class we were placed in. We decided that this was the Sunday school we would attend regularly.
“‘Where do you live? And do you have other brothers and sisters?’ the teacher asked that first Sunday.
“‘We live in a great big house and we have twelve brothers and sisters!’ I answered, and began to tell her all the beautiful names I thought my pretend brothers and sisters had. No one had ever taught me that lying was sin. I had often lived in a dream world, thinking about what I wanted most of all — a mother and father who loved me and lots of brothers and sisters all living happily together in a big house.
“When the puzzled teacher wanted to know where we lived, I couldn’t quite tell her, except to say that it was beside a big hill where lots of children went sliding.
“As we continued coming, Sunday after Sunday, I began to learn about the Lord Jesus who had come from heaven to die on the cross for my sins! Yes, for every one of the naughty things I had ever done. He had done this because He loved me so much and wanted me to be forgiven and cleansed so I could come and live in heaven with Him forever.
“Oh, how wonderful! To think that there was a Saviour who loved me like that.
“One day the memory verse was, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ I ran all the way home from Sunday school that day with those words providing the rhythm for my flying feet, ‘Come unto Me ... come unto Me ... come unto Me ... I will give you rest!’
“I was coming just as fast as I could! Someone did truly love me and was even asking me to come to Him.
“Up in the little bedroom that Sadie and I shared, I slipped to my knees and told the Lord Jesus I was coming right then to receive Him as my very own Saviour.
“A great comfort filled my heart to think I now belonged to Someone who had invited me to come, Someone who loved me, Someone who had taken the punishment for my sins!
“That night I had a dream that seemed very real. A glowing light seemed to fill the room because of a shining figure standing at the foot of my bed. His arms were held out toward me, and His eyes looked at me so lovingly. I thought it must be the Saviour and sat up quickly in bed, holding out my arms for Him to take me.
“‘Not just yet,’ the Shining One answered gently. ‘I have work for you to do for Me first before you come to be with Me.’
“This happened many years ago, for, remember, I was just seven years old. The work God has given me to do has been happy work, sharing what I know about Himself with others and especially with my own three little girls.
“I’m glad I heard the invitation, ‘Come unto Me.’ And that I just simply came.”
After Mother had blown out the kerosene lamp and listened to their prayers, she kissed them good night. Peggy snuggled down in her bed and looked out the window beside her. How bright the stars were in the velvety black sky!
Did the Lord Jesus look down and see her looking up? Maybe the stars were peek holes through which a bit of heaven’s brightness was shining. Was He wanting her to hear Him say, “Come unto Me”?
“I guess I’ll have to get bigger first,” she thought sleepily. “I’m p’wably too little yet.”