OWEN had not been long at our Sunday School. We had no trouble with him, as he always knew his verse, and sat quietly while we talked together of Jesus.
"Owen's lost!" said the boys one afternoon as I joined my class of little boys, whose ages ranged from four to seven years. "Yes, he's lost, and his father and some men are out looking for him all the time, and his mother, too, but they can't find him."
When school was I set out find out the truth of this story, This is what I learned.
They had not seen him since last Monday morning. His mother dressed him ready for school; he had a new suit on, and with his bag over his shoulder looked quite the little man.
"Good-by, Owen, your lunch is in the bag. Be a good boy, and come straight home from school."
Four o'clock struck, five passed, Mr. Thomas came in from his work, but still Owen did not appear.
"Where can the child be?" asked his mother.
"I'll ask some of the children in the street," said her husband, "maybe he has gone off somewhere with one of them."
But all the children said that Owen had not been at school all day! The poor parents passed a sleepless night, and the next day the search was resumed, but without any success.
After nearly three weeks the terrible suspense was ended. Owen's little body was found one morning floating in a little bay nearby. Poor Owen. He had made up his mind not to go to school, but to have a good time down at the bay instead. Do you think he knew he was doing wrong? Of course he did, but he didn't know how it would end.
Just so, the devil likes to lead us on into acts of disobedience, but he hides from us the result of our sin. And although you may have sinned and been very often disobedient yourself, still God waits to pardon you through the blood of the Lord Jesus.
Messages of God’s Love 9/4/1949