It was an exciting day! We were driving to Aunt Ruth and Uncle Austin’s house in Pittsburgh to spend the night. My sister, Heidi, and I both had plans to visit Aunt Ruth’s candy jar out on the big porch. Aunt Ruth also had a garden in her big backyard, and I loved to look for spiders while Heidi looked for ladybugs. There were a lot of steps going down to the garden, and Uncle Austin gave us each a can of water and a brush, and we got to “paint”
the steps.
Heidi and I were having such a good time! Then we spotted a pretty red bird called a cardinal. We decided to follow it, hoping to get up close to see it better. It kept hopping away, and just as we would get close, it would take off again. We tried to stay very quiet and not scare it into flying away, so that we could keep following it as it hopped from yard to yard. There were no fences to stop us, so we kept following the beautiful bird. It had feathers that sparkled in the sunlight, and it looked like it was wearing a hat with the red tuft at the top of its head. It sang a pretty song, too, as it landed on a bird feeder and had a snack of birdseed. Soon it was off to a yard farther away. We could hear its song and we could still follow it. When we found it again, we watched it flutter around, enjoying a shower in a neighbor’s sprinkler. This was a fun adventure the bird was taking us on!
Suddenly, we heard a front door shut. This scared the cardinal and it took off flying high into the air, and our game of follow-the-cardinal was over. My little sister Heidi said, “We better go back because it is getting dark!” But we soon discovered that we had made so many twists and turns and cut between so many houses, following the cardinal, that now we were lost! It was getting dark, and we had no idea where we were!
Are you lost? I don’t mean lost from home, but lost from God. Have you believed that Jesus died for your sins and talked to Him about it in your heart? If not, you are lost. But you don’t have to stay lost. The Lord Jesus said, “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)). Please stop right now and talk to the Lord Jesus — you do not have to wait — right now is the perfect time! Tell Him you believe He died on the cross for your sins and you want to be saved. He will hear you and will come into your heart.
A man saw us in his front yard and called to us, “Where do you children live?” I gave him the only address I knew, my address in Michigan, a long way from Pittsburgh! Just then we heard Uncle Austin’s voice calling, “Brian! Heidi! Where are you?” I grabbed Heidi’s hand and we ran toward Uncle Austin’s welcome voice! We were so happy to be safe in Uncle Austin’s car that we did not mind the scolding we got for wandering away, as we were so thankful to be found. We had been lost, but now we were found.
We pulled up to Aunt Ruth and Uncle Austin’s house, safe and “home.” We had a nice hot bath and some of Aunt Ruth’s wonderful cookies. Then we enjoyed sitting on the back porch in our pajamas, looking up at the stars twinkling outside the big windows. It had been a wonderful day! And someday soon, children, all those who are “found” by the Lord Jesus will be at home with Him in His Father’s house. We will enjoy being home with Him and all the wonderful things of heaven! Will you be there?
Messages of God’s Love 4/4/2021