Dr. Walter Wilson had on one occasion to treat the injured hand of teen-age girl. After making her as comfortable as possible, he said to her, “Are you a good girl?” She did not answer him. On asking again, “Come on, now, are you a good girl?” she answered in a haughty way, “Yes, of course.”
With a physician’s persistent inquiry, he said, “Do you never do any wrong at all?”
“No,” she replied, while her face flushed somewhat with displeasure, and perhaps with something of inward consciousness that her answer was not altogether true.
Gently but firmly he pressed the further question, “Do you not even do one wrong thing a day?”
To this she slowly admitted, “Well, yes, perhaps I do.”
“Well, look,” he said, “one sin a day is three hundred and sixty-five sins in a year,” and then, making a guess at her age, he multiplied three hundred and sixty-five by her years, and said gently, “So you see, you are not such a good girl after all, are you?”
The dear girl softened. Humbly she answered, “No,” whereupon the doctor, as skillful in dealing with spiritual ills as physical, told her of the Friend he knew who could wash away those scarlet sins.
Soon after both were on their knees in prayer, and he was able to lead her to the Saviour. She rose rejoicing in the knowledge that her sins were forgiven.
ML 05/28/1961