I SAT with a young mother, and her boy of three years old at her feet. His back was turned to her, and his face still crimson with the passion he had given way to, perhaps because his mother had not allowed him to have his own will and way in something he wanted—or wanted to do. His sobs had given way to silence, and the large tears waited on his cheek for others that filled his eyes, ready to fall anew!
From time to time, he cast a glance at his mother, whose grave face was turned away from the rebellious child, who understood not the deep pain he had given to her heart. The silence was broken by an occasional sob, but soon even this ceased. At last, in a subdued voice, the little fellow said,
“Mother, I know what would make me good! If you would look at me again, and take me on your knee and kiss me, and call me your own little son!”
In other words, this little boy felt and owned, he had been naughty and rebellious, and was sorry for it. He wanted to be forgiven, and to enjoy his dear mother’s love again; the enjoyment of which he had lost by his naughtiness, and maybe he felt, like the prodigal son in Luke 15, he was not worthy of it. At once his mother looked at him, opened her arms, and enfolded her child to her bosom where his last tears of repentance were shed, and her tears fell on the face that nestled there.
Is God, whom we have too often grieved by our naughtiness and disobedience to Him, is He as ready to forgive and to draw us close to Himself like that, if we judge ourselves and own our sins? Yes! dear child, or children. Read the 15th chapter of Luke, or have someone read it to you, and notice how gladly the Father runs to meet the repentant prodigal, and how he kisses him, and rejoices over his son’s return back to him, whom he had before, and for so long, turned his back upon.
This is what our beloved Lord tells us God is like towards any repentant one, young or old. Notice too, what our Lord Jesus tells us about joy being in heaven, joy in the presence of the angels of God —up there—over one sinner that repenteth.
“I am the way . . . no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.”
He went to the cross to atone for our sins, and to tell God the Father’s love, or there would not be, and could not be, any forgiveness at all for anybody.
ML 02/15/1925