One day Joan visited Aunt Jennie. She saw a little doll on Aunt Jennie’s dresser. She liked the doll. When no one was watching, she took it and hid it under her sweater on the bed.
A little while later Aunt Jennie said, “I wonder where that doll went. It was here a little while ago. It must be somewhere.”
Aunt Jennie began to search for the doll while Joan sat on the floor looking at a book. She was only five years old, but she knew what she had done was wrong. She had stolen the doll.
Suddenly Joan thought to herself, “What if Aunt Jennie looks under my sweater?” She called out, “Aunt Jennie, don’t look under my swear.”
Of course Aunt Jennie did look under her sweater. Then she knew what Joan had done. She asked Joan to come sit down beside her. She told Joan about the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. She explained to her very simply that even though the Lord Jesus was perfect and could never sin, He loved us so much He went to the cross to be punished for our sins. He was punished for sins just like Joan’s taking that doll that didn’t belong to her. She also told Joan that the Lord Jesus wants children just like her to ask Him to wash away their sins. He wants Joan and every other boy and girl to believe that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Timothy 1:15.
ML-05/24/1981