Maddie and the Big Discovery
"Hurry, Maddie", Mommy yelled from the other room. "We are going to be late for church!"
"I don't want to go to church!" Maddie yelled back. "Bugs Bunny is on and church is boring."
Mommy walked into Maddie's room, fastening a back onto her earring. "We go to church to worship Jesus and show Him how much we love Him, Maddie. That's much more important than cartoons. Besides, it's probably a rerun anyway. Now I want you in the car in five minutes." She turned and walked out of the room. Maddie knew better than to argue, but she still didn't see why she had to go. Maddie knew Jesus loved her. He loved all the little children of the world. But did Maddie love Him? Maddie had never even met Jesus. How could she love someone she hadn't even met? Maddie grabbed her coloring book and crayons off the shelf and dashed out to meet Mommy at the car.
The first time Mommy and Maddie went to church, Maddie sat next to Mommy and tried to listen to Pastor Davis. But she didn't understand the things he talked about. He said things like, "Jesus died for you", and "You need to be saved". Maddie had a hamster that died once. It was really sad. She sure didn't want anyone to die because of her!
And why did she need to be saved? Were there bad guys and monsters around? And if there were, wouldn't Mommy save her from them? It was boring listening to something she didn't under-stand, so Maddie asked Mommy if she could bring something to do while Pastor Davis preached.The next week, Maddie brought her Barbies to church. Big mistake! All the grownups in the pews around her made frowny faces and said, "Shhh!" whenever one of her Barbies wanted to talk to another one. So Maddie got in the habit of bringing her coloring books and crayons each week. She would sit quietly on the floor by Mommy's feet and use the pew bench as a table until Pastor Davis said the final prayer and dismissed the service. This week was no exception and soon service was over and Maddie and Mommy were on their way home.
After changing into play clothes, Maddie grabbed a ball and called to Duke to come play. Duke was Maddie's German Shepherd. Actually, Maddie was Duke's little girl. The big guard dog took his job of protecting Maddie very seriously and it was obvious to all that he adored the child.
Maddie stood in the front yard and threw the ball. Duke retrieved it and carried it back to her. When Maddie tried to throw it again, the slobbery ball slipped from her hand, hit the tree, and bounced into the street. "I'll get it, Duke!" Maddie yelled, darting into the street without even looking, right into the path of an oncoming truck. The next thing Maddie saw was a blur of black fur and four flying paws as she landed with a hard bump on the sidewalk. Tires were screeching and a horn was sounding and then there was a sickening "thud" as the truck came to an abrupt halt.
Mommy came running outside, scooped up Maddie and cried, "Maddie, baby, are you alright?"
Maddie rubbed her backside and answered crossly, "Duke knocked me down, Mommy". At that moment, Mommy and Maddie both noticed Duke lying very still in the middle of the street.
The man who drove the truck was standing over him, mumbling something. "Oh Mommy! Is Duke dead?", Maddie cried.
They ran over to Duke and the truck driver. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry", the man was saying. "The little girl ran right out in front of me. I tried to stop but there wasn't time. If it weren't for that big dog...", his voice trailed off. He was shaking.
"Mommy, Mommy is Duke dead?" Maddie asked again, tugging on her skirt.
"Yes, honey, he is", Mommy answered sadly. Maddie burst into tears and rushed into the house, leaving Mommy and the truck driver alone with Duke.
Mommy came into the house and found Maddie lying on her bed, sobbing. "Why did Duke die, Mommy?" Maddie wailed.
"Duke died to save you, Maddie", Mommy answered honestly. To save me? Maddie thought she had heard that somewhere before but she couldn't remember where.
"Would I have died if Duke hadn't knocked me down?" Maddie asked. Mommy nodded.
"That's why I always tell you to look both ways before going into the street, Maddie. The truck driver tried to stop, but there wasn't enough time."
"So, Duke died for me?" Maddie asked, trying to take it all in.
"That's right, honey", Mommy said, "Because he loved you."
"Oh Mommy", Maddie started with a fresh batch of tears. "But I didn't take him for walks like I should have, and sometimes I forgot to feed him and..."
Mommy interrupted. "Maddie, Duke didn't die for you because of anything you did or didn't do. He did it because he loved you and you were his little girl."
Duke died for me! Suddenly Maddie remembered where she had heard this before. She sat up on the bed, dried her tears, and began to talk very seriously to Mommy. "Mommy, did Jesus die for me so I don't have to die, kinda like Duke did?" Maddie questioned.
"Yes, honey. The Bible says that everyone does bad things, or sins. The punishment for sin is to die and go down to the devil. Jesus died on the cross so we don't have to die and go down to the devil. We can go to Heaven", Mommy explained.
"But Mommy, why would Jesus die for me?", Maddie asked, puzzled. "I didn't love Him. I never even met Him, and I didn't like to go to church and..."
Mommy interrupted again. "Jesus died for you because He loves you, Maddie. Because you are His child - not because of anything you did or didn't do. He died to save you from your sins, just like Duke died to save you from the truck."
Now Maddie understood. "I don't need to be saved from bad guys or monsters, do I Mommy? I need to be saved from my sins."
"That's right, Maddie", Mommy whispered.
"Do you think Duke is in Heaven, Mommy?" Maddie wondered.
"I want to go to Heaven too", Maddie declared, wiping her nose and brushing away a stray tear. So Mommy led Maddie in a special prayer before tucking her in that night.
The next Sunday, Maddie was dressed and ready for church before Mommy could call to her. "Hurry, Mommy", Maddie called from her bedroom. "We are going to be late for church!"
"Oh, Maddie, I wasn't planning on going. I got home from work so late last night and I am so tired", Mommy yelled back.
Maddie walked into Mommy's room. "But Mommy, we've got to go to church to worship Jesus and show Him how much we love Him for dying for us".
"What about your cartoons?" Mommy asked.
"They're not as important as showing Jesus how much I love Him. Besides, it's probably a rerun anyway", Maddie explained.
Mommy smiled. "Ok, I'll meet you in the car in five minutes", Mommy said, jumping out of bed and throwing on some clothes.
"No Mommy", Maddie announced. "I'm going to sit and listen to Pastor Davis. I don't think church is going to be boring anymore."
Maddie did sit next to Mommy and listened carefully to Pastor Davis. She didn't understand everything he talked about, but she understood that Jesus loved her and that He died for her and saved her from her sins. She understood that she loved Him for that even though she never actually met Him. And she understood that showing Jesus she loved Him was more important than cartoons and coloring books. Thanks to Duke, Maddie had made a big discovery and it was already changing her life.
Raelyn, that was a beautiful, beautiful story! Thank you
ReplyDeleteRaelyn, that was a beautiful, beautiful story! Thank you
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