Dear Children,
Gramma and I know that children like riddles, so here is a riddle for you. Tell me . . .
What kind of dog is white,
Has black spots all over it,
And a light yellow spot on its forehead,
And also smells like a skunk?
Ho - ho - ho! Did you guess?
“Sure, Grampa, it sounds like your dog Chelsea . . . she’s a Dalmatian. But how come she smells like a skunk?”
Well, children, this is how it happened. You know that I take Chelsea out every night around 9:30 for our usual walk. She likes to chase any rabbits she can find and also any cats that have strayed onto the property. While she’s off chasing something, I like to look up into the sky and wonder how our God could name all those twinkling stars. Psalm 147 tells us, “He calleth them all by their names.” Now see if you can find which verse says that.
Well, this time Chelsea chased the wrong cat! This one was a “POLECAT,” or better known as a skunk! When she came back to me, I could smell her before I saw her! I said, “Oh, no! She has been sprayed by a skunk!”
Chelsea was rubbing both sides of her head on the grass, trying her best to get rid of the odor. I said to her, “Chelsea, we did not train you to chase skunks! So now, how do you think you are going to get back into the house? Gramma will never let you in smelling like that!”
Gramma was horrified when she caught the odor of Chelsea. She said, “Let’s get that dog into the barn right now!” Then Gramma brought out a bucket of hot water with special soap and three quarts of tomato juice.
Right about then, I got to thinking that we did not train Chelsea to chase cats or skunks, yet here was the result of what she did.
When God created our first parents, Adam and Eve, they were without sin. But when Satan came along and tempted Eve, they both disobeyed God and did what they were told not to do. So the very first sin in the Bible is disobedience. Ephesians 6:11Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. (Ephesians 6:1) says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” Do you always obey your parents? Probably not, so that means you are a sinner, just like me. And we aren’t allowed into God’s house with our sins, just like Chelsea wasn’t allowed into our house with the skunk odor all over her.
Tomato juice is great for cleaning out the odor of skunk. Gramma poured the tomato juice all over Chelsea’s head, making sure the juice did not get into Chelsea’s eyes. Then Gramma used soap and water to wash her all over to remove the tomato juice and then dried her with a towel. The place on Chelsea’s head where the skunk sprayed her looked like a dull, yellow stain.
Children, isn’t that much like us? We can never get into God’s house, heaven, without having our sins washed away.
“All sins, Grampa?”
“Yes, all sins! Disobedience, telling lies, swearing, stealing and others are all sin. And do you know how we can have all those sins washed away? The answer is in this little song we sometimes sing in Sunday school.”
What can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
So that not one spot remains?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Oh, precious is the flow,
That makes me white as snow
Now then, Chelsea’s skunk odor was washed off, and she was ready to come back into the house. By now it was 10:30. When Gramma opened the door, Chelsea was the first one in, making a dash for her own bed. And Gramma and I and our grandson, who was visiting us, were right behind her.
Chelsea could do nothing to help herself, but we were ready and willing to help her, and she was willing to let us. Now for you and me, there is nothing that we can do to get to heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ did it all for us at the place called Calvary. His blood can wash us clean from every stain of sin. A verse in Psalm 51 says, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (verse 7). Gramma and I hope you are willing to let the Lord Jesus wash you clean from your sins so you will be allowed into heaven.
Bye bye for now, children.
Lots of love,
Gramma & Grampa & Chelsea
ML-01/18/2004