“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and wonders He has done.” Psalm 78:4
“Grandma, tell me a story about when you were a little girl!” What Grandmother hasn’t heard that phrase from the mouths of their sweet little grandkids sitting on her knee? What was it like in the “good old days” before cell phones, computers and the internet? The most important story in my memory bank and the one I want to pass on, is the day I realized I was a sinner! I was 6 years old!
My parents were Christians and I don’t ever remember a time that I didn’t love Jesus. I knew many Bible stories, exciting ones from the Old Testament about Abraham and Isaac, David, Daniel and Naaman. I even loved Jesus in my own way. My parents thought I was a pretty good little girl. My grandma certainly thought her little Jeanie was special! But one night I went to a VBS children’s meeting. The speaker was a very tall man with long fingers. He pointed at us and told us that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God!” Romans 3:23. “That means, boys and girls, that just one lie will keep you out of heaven. Jesus is too holy to allow sin in His presence and if you tell even one lie, you are a sinner and not good enough for heaven!”
Immediately, I thought over my short life and all the times I had gotten in trouble and had to be disciplined! We lived in California and I remembered I had stolen the neighbor’s lemons off her lemon tree and hid them under the porch. I was pretty young at the time, but I knew I had done wrong. I don’t know why I did it, I didn’t even LIKE lemons! Then the times I threw tantrums because I couldn’t get my way! And how about the times I tattled on my two older sisters to get them in trouble? Was that a sin? And what about all the lies I told? They may have seemed harmless at the time, but they were still lies. I had the idea if I kept telling the same lie, people would eventually believe me! Even I might believe my own lies! We can fool ourselves, but we can’t fool God! He can see right through into the depths of our heart and see the sin hidden there.
The speaker went on to say that if we could see through a window into hell, we would be so horrified, we would immediately ask God to save us! Well, I certainly didn’t want to go there! But I knew I had sin in my heart! I was very convicted, even as a 6 year old child. I went home that night, knelt down by my bed and asked Jesus to come into my life and save me from my sins. I had memorized the verse from John 6:37, “Him who comes to me, I will in no wise cast out!” So, I took God at his word and repented of my sins, trusted Him to cover them with the blood of His Son Jesus, through His death on the cross. I got up from my knees and slept soundly that night. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. I have never regretted that decision!
There were times in my teen years when I struggled against the sins of the flesh, but God was always there, faithful to me. He gave me a godly Christian man to be my husband and we raised four children. Now I have grandkids to enjoy and pass the heritage of faith to the next generation. I love to watch my children teaching their children “the wonderful works of God and praiseworthy things He has done.” It is such a blessing to watch the grandkids making godly choices in spouses, employment, missions and college majors! The Lord will guide their lives and be faithful to them as he was to me. Then, they will have those special stories to pass on to their children!
Your friend, Jean