CAN you imagine away over in Germany a cluster of high hills and bluffs with a valley winding in and out amongst them and in this valley a stream murmuring over its rocky bed? Our picture reminds one of such a spot.
A few evenings ago as I was passing a neighboring house, the family were sitting out in the yard. One little girl had in her hands a young blue-jay which was crying and struggling to get away. Perhaps it had fallen out of the nest, for the little girl was talking about putting it up in the tree.
The boy in the picture has the young birds, nest and all, which he has taken from some sheltered hiding place in amongst the rocks or the branches of the trees.
It is very cruel to disturb the nest home of the little birds. The old bird feels very badly when she loses the young birds, and they starve to death without the mother bird to feed them.
How would you feel, children, if someone took you away off from your parents and let you starve to death? How would your dear papa and mamma feel?
The children here have guilty faces. Their expressions do not indicate self-justification or self-defense, for they know that the old man’s words of rebuke are true. They know they deserve punishment. Not expecting any one to come along, perhaps they thought their naughtiness would never be found out. But God says,
Some of the naughty things you do may never be found out by your friends here. But do you think you can hide anything from God? Every one of you has sinned and does sin. And do not deceive yourselves by thinking God does not know all about it. You cannot bide your sins from His all-seeing eye.
Since those sins must be punished, your only way of escape is through God’s mercy. He does not want you to suffer for your sins, because He loves you so much that He gave His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for you. If you will believe on that blessed Saviour your sins will be forgiven.
ML 11/01/1903