"SHALL GIVE ACCOUNT."
BUT was it always happy times with Katy? Did I hear somebody ask? What
will you say if I tell you that sometimes she did not want to do as her
mamma said she must, that she wanted to have her own way, and pouted
and was cross, because she could not have it? What! A little girl that
had had such kindness heaped upon her, dare to be so ungrateful as that!
But it was true, and I am not surprised at it, because I have been
little girls do the same thing that had never known anything all their
lives but love and kindness, and had been carefully trained by the
best of mothers. And then it is very much as we all act toward Jesus.
He sees us in the rags and filth of sin and takes us for his children,
and loves us and gives us the clean robes of his righteousness, and
promises us a beautiful home, and don't we often sit down and fret, or
go about all covered with gloom because he does not make things go to
suit us?
Sometimes Mrs. Lynn was filled with sorrow when Katy showed a great
deal of self-will, but she had great patience with her, because she
remembered Katy had had no one to teach her until now. And she prayed
for her earnestly, and hoped that it would not be long before she would
belong to Jesus indeed, for she had as yet got no farther than trying
to be good.
She had improved, but she had not yet come to Jesus, and given her
heart to him, and asked for the new heart. She was trying to make
herself good, and began to feel that she was pretty good and did not
need any help from Jesus. Didn't she go to church and Sunday-school
every Sunday, and learn her verses and give her pennies and say her
prayers? And she didn't tell lies, or break the Sabbath, or say bad
words, as Sally Dike and those girls used to. Now that she had got into
such a beautiful home, and had so many nice things and so many to love
her, she seemed to forget how she had wished for Jesus to love her.
The summer was gone, the earth had put on her winter clothing, and so
had Katy. Every morning, pleasant or stormy, you might have seen a
little girl, dressed in warm bright merino and muffled in furs, her
brown curls down on her shoulders now, moving briskly by Mr. Lynn's
side on their way to the street-car, that should take them to the city,
Katy to her school, Mr. Lynn to his office. You would hardly know Katy
now, she has improved so much. She is a bright faithful scholar and a
favorite with all.
Such a winter Katy had never known. It was quite a new thing to face
the cold blast, so warmly clad that the cold could not creep in
anywhere. Then how delightful to come to such a home at night. The warm
fires glowing in the grates, the cheerful tea-table spread, bright
carpets and curtains and warmth and beauty everywhere, best of all a
gentle loving mother waiting for her. It was just one pleasure after
another, whether she slid down hill, or rode swiftly over the snowy
ground tucked in the warmest of robes, sleigh-bells jingling merry
music, or, by the evening fire, cracked nuts and ate apples.
Whenever Katy saw some poor little waif all blue and cold, standing at
the corner of the street, the wind blowing her rags, just as she used
to look, it made her unhappy. If she had anything in her purse, she
wanted to empty it, and would have taken off some of her garments to
give, if Mr. Lynn had allowed it. She always remembered in her prayer,
"Poor little cold hungry children without any homes."
One Sabbath after dinner, Katy established herself in a corner of
the sofa to have a nice time with her Sabbath-school book. Something
appeared to be the matter, she did not look happy. The minister had
preached that day from the text, "So then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God," and her mind was running on what he had
said instead of being on the story she was reading. The words of the
text kept coming before her.
"Give account," she repeated to herself. "I can't! I never shall, oh
dear, oh dear," she said half aloud.
Mrs. Lynn looking up, said:
"Why, what is the matter with our little girl to-day? She does not seem
to be much interested in her book; what has gone wrong, my dear?"
"Oh, mamma, the minister said that everybody must stand up all alone
before God and tell all about themselves. Does it mean little girls
too?"
"The Bible says, 'every one.'"
"But I can't! I'm afraid, I won't go up there by him, I'll hide."
"But God can see even through the darkness."
"I can't, I can't! I've been such a naughty girl." Katy buried her face
in her hands and sobbed aloud, "Oh, must I? Isn't there ally way to get
clear of it?"
"No, dear, the same Bible says the books will be open, the dead, small
and great, shall stand before God."
"Oh, oh! How dreadful it is, I wish I never had been made. Aren't you
afraid, mamma? But you are so good you needn't be."
"No," said Mrs. Lynn, with a smile, "I'm not afraid, not because I am
good, but because when God calls me to come up before him, I can say
I belong to Jesus, then it will be all right. If I am asked about my
sins, I can say Jesus took them and suffered for me; or if I am asked
about being pure and holy, I can say the Lord is my righteousness, or
whatever I may be asked, I can say I love the Lord Jesus, then God will
smile upon me, and bid me come into the beautiful city.
"Don't you see, my dear, how easy it will be in that day, if we only
belong to Jesus? That is the great thing. To every one He says, 'Come,
and I will give you a heart to love me, and everything else you need,
and take you to live with me when you die.' Go to Him, darling, and tell
Him all about it, how you are afraid of that day that will surely come,
how you want to hide yourself in Him, and have a new heart."
"Oh, I can't, I don't know how."
"Don't you know how to come to me and ask my forgiveness when you have
displeased me?"
"But I've tried, I 'can't,' I can't be a Christian."
"My poor little Katy, you can't be anything else, unless you belong
to Satan. Every one serves Jesus or Satan. God commands every one to
repent. To repent means to be sorry that you have sinned against God
and stop sinning. If I command you to do anything, am I pleased with
you until you obey me? When one comes to Jesus, he must come meaning
with all his heart to give up every sin and try to please Him."
"I said the prayer you told me; it didn't do any good; I said it every
night, too."
"Katy, do you remember how you wanted to go up on the hill with the
girls after beech-nuts, and I was afraid the walk would be too long for
you, how you came into my room and begged to go, and said you would
stop every little while and rest? You were willing to promise anything,
if I would only let you go. Did you ask Jesus that way when you knelt
down before him."
"No," said Katy, blushing. "I guess I was thinking of something else,
and I was so tired and sleepy."
"If you had come to me when you wanted to go after beech-nuts and asked
in a stupid, sleepy way, if you might go, looking as if you didn't
care whether I said yes or no, would I have taken much notice of it? I
should have thought, 'Katy does not seem to care much about going; it
is just as well that she should not.' You must be wide awake and mean
what you say, when you pray."
"But I can't be 'good,' I've tried ever so hard."
"No, you never can make yourself good. You must tell Jesus so, and
ask Him to take you just as you are, and make you His child. He says,
'Come to me and I will save you.' You must believe Him and come. That
is being a Christian, believing what He says, and trusting Him to save
you."
"Is that all? Haven't I got to be good?"
"You will try with all your heart to please Jesus when you really love
Him. That is being good. He will keep you from being naughty if you ask
Him and trust Him to do it."
"Oh, mamma, won't you ask Him to give me a new heart now?"
"Yes, I will my dear, but you must ask for yourself, and try to give
up all your will to Jesus, and feel toward Him as I have told you, you
must feel toward me. Be willing that he should plan and choose for you,
and obey Him cheerfully."
They knelt together, and Mrs. Lynn asked most earnestly that Katy might
now be taken by the Lord Jesus for His child, to be His forever. Then
Katy asked Him too, and gave herself away as she never had before.
These prayers were answered. From that time, Katy was a true little
disciple of the Lord, often making mistakes it is true, but always
going with a grieved heart to her Savior for forgiveness. She felt from
that time as if she belonged to the Lord. It was a great help when
tempted to think, "What would please Jesus best?" or "If He were here
looking at me, would I do so?"
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