It was a bright morning, the birds warbled among the trees, and Josey and his schoolmates walked along the flowery lane leading from their country home, to the village school. A pretty bird flew out of a thick fir tree in the wood, close by the road, and two of the boys cried out at once, “A nest!”
In a few minutes satchels were thrown down, and one or two quickly climbing the tree looking for the nest. After quite twenty minutes’ search, they had to descend disappointed, for no nest was there. While all this was going on, time had been passing, so that while they were still in the wood, the school bell tolled. This, as they knew well, meant that they would be “late” and “kept in” at the close of lessons.
“Let’s stay in the wood till dinner-time” said one, “nobody will ever know.”
That arrangement found general favor, and although Josey knew well that his pants prohibited him from nesting in the wood, and would be very grieved if they knew that he played truant, he fell in with the plan, and was soon as much interested in the proceedings as the rest. Still he was far from easy, and while the others were up searching for nests, he listened, thinking every passing step might be his father going to the market. A baker’s van passed along the road, and the driver, probably seeing the lads robbing a nest, shouted as he passed,
“Be sure your sin will find you out!”
Whether the boys in the tree heard them or not, the strange words fell distinctly on Josey’s ear, as they echoed through the wood. How he wished he had not come there, but it was no use wishing that now. He was glad to get out of the wood, but very unhappy at the thought of appearing before his father and mother. The words echoed through the wood, seemed to still sound in his ear,
“Be sure your sin will find you out.”
Nothing was said at dinner-time, his parents not suspecting anything wrong, but at night when Josey came to give his father and mother his evening kiss, and say “goodnight,” he broke down, and told the whole story. Grieved as his parents were, they sought to show him how God had sent that voice to sound the warning text in his ear, that he might be awakened to the sinfulness of his ways, and thus made to see his need of a Saviour.
Josey never forgot that day on which he played truant, nor the text that was echoed through the wood. He is now a happy Christian boy, saved and on the way to heaven.
Sin may be very sweet in its bud, but the fruit thereof will be bitterness and sorrow. Hasten to the Saviour in the days of youth; He also can remove sin’s stains, and break sin’s power, giving peace to the conscience, and rest to the heart.
ML 07/31/1938