DOROTHY DAY was a dear little girl about five years old, the daughter of a Christian father. One of the delights of the day to father and daughter was the little prayer time at its close, and the confidential chat after, before Dorothy pillowed her curly head and went to sleep.
One evening, after the prayer time, Dorothy held up her little hand and said:
"This finger and this thumb have been very naughty today, father."
"Why, what have they done?" inquired Mr. Day.
"Can you not guess?" said the child, thinking that her wise father knew everything about her day's doings. But though he thought of many of little Dorothy's childish doings, he failed to tell the exact thing to which she alluded.
"They took some raisins out of the cupboard," she confessed and, after a pause, she added, "and put them into my mouth."
Hiding an amused smile at the sincerity and simplicity of his darling, Mr. Day inquired:
"Did anybody tell those naughty fingers to do so?"
"I did not hear anybody tell them," replied the child simply.
"What part of my little girl caused those naughty fingers to take the raisins?" again asked the father, in hopes of teaching his little daughter a profitable lesson. "Was it her curly hair, her head, or her heart?"
"Her heart," quickly replied Dorothy, realizing that it was something within her which caused the fingers to act. Then, in simple language her father set before her the Scripture,
"Out of the heart are the issues of life." (Prov. 4: 23). God who knows "the secrets of the heart" (Psa. 44: 21), has declared,
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Jer. 17: 9.
Like a faithful father, he explained to her that as the source or spring of herself was wicked, therefore she was a sinner, and included in the great "all" when God says,
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3: 23. Then taking a piece of black cloth, he wound it around the naughty finger and thumb to indicate their black character. Mr. Day put the matter in such an interesting and simple way, that the child nestled closer to him, and looked inquiringly into his face.
"But what made Dorothy know that those fingers were naughty, and what led her to think of confessing to father?"
Dorothy could not answer this question, so her father went on to tell her that it was her conscience that told her that her act was sinful, and that it was her conscience that brought before her, when speaking to God in prayer, that her sin and His holiness could not dwell together.
Thus sweetly, Mr. Day was able to set before his darling child, her need of knowing her sins forgiven, for if conscience led Dorothy to confess to father at the close of day, what about the time when "every one of us shall give account of himself to God?" (Rom. 14: 12).
Surely the desire must be implanted in each heart,—the desire to have "sins forgiven;" and any boy or girl may rejoice in this now, for God's Word says,
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
If you, my reader, have not already done so, why not take Him now as your own Saviour?
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God bath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10: 9.
Messages of God’s Love 4/17/1932