She sat safely strapped in her car seat beside Mother. These freeway rides were sometimes frightening with speeding cars and roaring trucks rushing along down four or five lanes. Lucy was only 3 ½ years old and usually took comfort in her soft blanket and thumb at these times. Today she heard a sharp “oh-oh!” from Mother and looked ahead to see a parade of red tail lights glaring their warning to stop. “Trouble ahead,” murmured Mother, slowing to a near stop with the others. She reached a reassuring hand over to Lucy. The little girl’s fear was partly overcome by her curiosity, and she was craning to see.
“Did the cars go bang? Ooooh, Mommy!” The lane in which they were traveling had led them right beside a horribly mangled car. Beside it on the pavement lay the body of a man, bloody and still.
“Don’t look, Lucy dear,” Mother was saying. But Lucy had seen... and for miles, even after reaching home, she kept seeing the bloody, still body of the poor man.
“Will he die, Mommy? Oh, Moy, will they take him home to die?”
Mother wanted to comfort her little girl, but she knew she should speak plainly. “He might already be dead, or he may recover in the hospital. We hope he will recover, but we do not know. Lucy honey, you know that children sometimes are hurt in these accidents or just on a street near home. That is why it is so important to ask the Lord Jesus to wash all your naughty sins away. Then if you should be called to die suddenly, you can go straight to the loving arms of Jesus who died for us who trust in Him. You do know that you are naughty at times and need your heart washed clean of sin, don’t you, Lucy?”
“Yes, Mommy, I know. I want to do it... now, Mommy. I want ’em washed away NOW!”
Lucy sweetly and simply said the most important words of her young life. Getting up from her knees, she beamed, “Mommy, when I wake up my eyes in heaven, I’m going to give the Lord Jesus a great big hug!”
ML-11/04/1984