Dear Children,
In the fall, I was working in our garden with a shovel, turning over the soil for the winter months. Cricket, our little dog, was very busy, running here and there, chasing leaves that the wind was blowing.
As I was turning over the soil, something caught my eye! Something was moving in the soil. I laid down my shovel and bent over to pick up this little something that was moving! I was completely surprised at what I was holding in my hand!
“What was it, Grampa? What was it?”
It was a very small baby turtle! I said out loud, “WOW!” It was the size of a 25-cent coin! I looked at it closely and saw that it had eyes, nose, mouth, legs with claws, tail, and a shell. It had everything it needed to live! God made it that way.
I thought to myself, There must be more, because mother turtles don’t lay just one egg; they lay 20 or 30! So I gently moved more soil away, using my hand so as not to hurt any, and, sure enough, I found 4 more!
I carried them up to the house so Gramma could see them. She took a picture of them in my hand, and they all were very much alive! Gramma asked, “What are you going to do with them now?” I said, “I’m going to take them down to the creek and let them go.” She said, “Do it now.”
As I was walking down to the creek, I was wondering if they would live or die. They weren’t moving in my hand: Their heads, legs and tails were all tucked inside their shells. When I was about 60 feet away from the creek, I felt them moving just a little in my hand. I stopped and saw that their legs were coming out of their shells. Their heads were also coming out, and they were all looking in the same direction—towards the creek! And then they began trying to crawl out of my hand!
What was happening? I didn’t know! But first, I turned around to face the house. I waited and watched them for a second or two, and then the baby turtles turned around, facing the creek again and began to crawl out of my hand towards the creek! Amazing! I closed my hand a little so they wouldn’t fall.
“Grampa, why did they turn towards the creek?”
Because God gave them the instinct to know the water was in that direction, and water is “home” for turtles.
Children and grown-ups, God has a home in heaven just for you! Have you ever thought about that? Are you ready for a home in heaven? or are you trapped in a life of sin? You cannot live a life of sin and then expect to go to heaven. Your sins must be forgiven before you die or you will never arrive there.
Are you thinking, What is sin? Sin is breaking any one of God’s commandments. Telling lies is wrong; stealing is wrong; It was not for hunger or thirst or sunstroke bad language is wrong. Breaking any of these commandments will keep you out of heaven. But God loves you very much and has a remedy to remove all your sins so you can live with Him in heaven someday: “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). Jesus is the one “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)).
And so, when I got close to the water, the legs of those baby turtles were really moving! I gently set them down close to the water and watched. Their little legs pulled each little turtle right into the shallow water—the home God made for them—and they were in a hurry to get there.
Turning to Cricket, I said, “Okay, Buddy, it’s time to go back home.” She danced a circle or two, and we walked back up to the house. Our rescue mission was finished. Have you let the Lord Jesus finish His “rescue mission” for you by coming to Him for forgiveness of your sins?
Lots of love,
Grampa
ML-04/26/2015