The glowing campfire lit up the faces of many happy girls as they listened to the message of the evening. Their leader was telling them the story of the Sower who was sowing the seed of God’s Word in the hearts of those who would hear.
Mary Jane listened carefully. Was her heart like the ground in which the weeds of worries and doubts choked out the good seed? Was she afraid to take the Lord as her Savior because she was worrying about what Dad would say? Dad did not believe in the Bible. He said Christians were usually hypocrites. He would not like it if she received the Lord as her Savior.
Their leader went on to tell of the birds that snatched away the good seed, of hard rocky ground where the sun soon wilted and withered the plants, and then of the good ground where the seeds grew well and brought forth a good harvest.
It was lovely there on the hilltop, but Mary Jane did not see the sunset colors fading in the sky across the lake, nor did she hear the sleepy night songs of the birds. This was the last day of camp. Tomorrow they would be leaving for home again. If she did not decide for the Lord tonight, she knew that she would be letting Satan, like the birds, snatch away the good seed from her heart.
When the campfire meeting was over the girls went down the hill to their dormitory. They were laughing and talking as they prepared for bed, but Mary Jane was thoughtful. Slowly she unbuttoned her dress. Why hadn’t she talked to one of the counselors about her problem? She would do it now! Quickly she buttoned her dress and started for the door.
No! If she became a Christian she would have no friends. In the little town where she lived Mary Jane did not know one person who was a Christian. It would be too hard to be the only one. She began to unbutton her dress again.
But the Lord was gently drawing her heart to himself and reminding her of His great love for her in dying for her sins upon the cross. Once more she quickly buttoned her dress and started for the door. With her hand upon the doorknob she thought, “It is too late now. There will not be anyone at the campfire by now.”
Once more she began to unbutton her dress, but the longing to belong to the Lord Jesus was almost more than she could bear. Was she hardening her heart until it would become like the hard ground that did not receive the seed?
For the last time she buttoned up her dress and almost ran out the door and back up the hill to the campfire.
Yes! there was someone there! By the faint light of the rosy coals she could see two figures. In a few moments she was beside them and to her surprise she heard her counselor say, “Mary Jane, we’re so glad you came! We were just now praying that you would!”
Soon they were kneeling together and talking to the Lord about Mary Jane’s need of the Savior. Simply and gladly she received the Lord Jesus and trusted His promise that “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)).
It was not easy when Mary Jane went home, but right away she started a little Sunday school. About a dozen boys and girls came, and Mary Jane tried to tell them each Sunday what she herself was learning as she read God’s Word.
The seed had found good ground in Mary Jane’s heart. In the years that followed several received the Lord Jesus as their Savior through Mary Jane’s faithful testimony, including her younger sister and brother, and finally her father!
How glad Mary Jane has always been that she took the Lord Jesus as her Savior that night at camp and let the good seed take root in her heart!