It was dull! Reggie’s mother was sick in bed, and as he was an only child he had nobody to play with.
What seemed to be so hard to Reggie was this: he had a new sailboat which he loved to sail every day on the pond. His mother had asked him not to sail it there while she was so sick, for it made her worry.
As he looked at his boat, so trim, and neat, the temptation seemed too strong for him, and so he reached for it and hurried away.
It was himself he sought to please, and not the Lord, who says,
Don’t imagine that Reggie fell into the water and was drowned. He had a good time, except for a bit of a bad conscience. His disobedience continued for several days. One day as he was just about to leave with his boat, the nurse met him at the door and told him that his mother was much worse and might not live very long.
Poor Reggie. He loved his mother and he thought, “What if mother should die before I have confessed and she has forgiven my sin and disobedience!”
He at once begged to be allowed to see her, but the doctor had ordered perfect quiet, and the nurse would not let him in.
With a heavy load on his heart he wandered about in the garden. Suddenly he had a bright idea, and he hurried in and picked up his blackboard and chalk. This is what he wrote:
“Dear Mother, I have been very disobedient and sailed my boat on the pond. I am so very, very sorry and want you to forgive me. Please say you forgive me by rubbing this off the blackboard.”
Then on tip-toe he crept upstairs to the door of his mother’s room and sat there waiting for the nurse to come out.
“Do give this to Mother,” he whispered when at last she came to the door.
“I’m afraid she’s too sick to read it, but wait just a minute.”
After a long time the nurse returned and. handed the board back to Reggie saying, “Your mother has read it,”
Eagerly he looked at it and what do you think he found? It was clean! All rubbed out! The burden of his heart was gone and he knew he was forgiven.
I do not know whether Reggie ever confessed his sins to God. But I do know that God is waiting to do for you just what Reggie’s mother did for him. If you will but own your sins before Him, He will wash them all away, and you will be forgiven.
ML 04/02/1950