Randy
and the Book
Without Words
By Rose
Hardie
A s he started down Main Street, Randy wished he hadn’t promised Mrs. Nelson that he would go to vacation Bible school. It was summertime and the husky eleven-year-old longed for the big city with its new swimming pool. How he wished Dad had turned down the transfer from the lumber com pany’s central office to this branch here in Pine Valley. The doctor said Mom’s health would be improved by the warm weather and peaceful calm which covered the small town nestled against a mountainside. Randy .thought of these things as he walked along that July morning, and soon he found himself glancing at a creek which wound down from the hills like a silver cord. “Why there isn’t even room there for a frog,” he thought. Then he remembered Mrs. Nelson who owned the bakeshop on Main Street. . She was a plump, smiling- faced woman. She told Randy about Bible school, and the young boy had listened politely. Finally Randy promised that he would go — but just once! The directions looked simple enough on the slip of paper. Start down Main Street until you reach Ames Road, then turn right at the school- house; soon he would reach the little brown church. Randy was daydreaming and watch ing the creek for quite sometime un til he realized that he was out in the countryside. He looked at the paper in his- hand and saw that he had kept on Main Street, but instead of turning at Ames Road, he was now out on a dusty path. He was lost, but he looked and saw a church 30
steeple in the distance. “Why, that could be it,” he thought. As he started across a field, he thought how foolish he had been to get lost. If only he had followed directions! But after about twenty minutes he was standing tired and dusty in front of a little brown building among some pine trees. There were some other children in the yard, and soon a bell rang and they all hur ried inside. Randy followed along with them, and soon they were sit ting in a small room with a little pulpit in front. This was nothing like the big cathedral Randy used to go to in the city. A cheerful young lady (she smiled like Mrs. Nelson) came to the front of the room. She welcomed the boys and girls, and lifted up a gold-covered book and began to speak. “ Boys and girls, how many of you like story books? I’m sure you all have favorite stories you like to hear over and over again.” As she spoke, Randy thought how he loved books, especially the ones about trains. “Well, today I have a book—a book with a wonderful story. There are no words in this book, but it tells us a wonderful story. This page is gold and represents heaven where the streets are pure gold. But there is only one way to get there and that is by believing on the Lord Jesus.” Randy sat and admired the shiny page and thought of a city—a city with gold streets. The lady turned the page and next was a black paper which she said stood for the sin in our lives. Then she showed the children a red page which stood for the blood of Jesus.
Then a clean, white page was held before them, and as the lady ex plained how the blood of Jesus could wash away his sins and make his heart white as snow, Randy decided to let Jesus into his heart. When the teacher asked for de cisions, Randy said that he wanted to become a child of God. He knew he was a sinner, so he opened his heart’s door and let the Saviour in. Later she explained that Christ was every Christian boy and girl’s guide along the path of life. He would lead Randy through life until some day, he too, would reach that city with streets of gold. Randy now had a real roadmap— the Bible. “Why, that is more wonderful than my best train book!” he told the fellow next to him. After the little service, the boys and girls went into another room and worked on crafts. Randy started a wallet for his Dad, and had fun stitching on the leather. Randy went home that night, but he promised to return the next day and every day for the next two weeks. He went home the right way. Now the Lord Jesus was his Guide and the Bible was his roadmap. With Christ as Guide there would be no mistake along the way. Randy decided that he was glad af ter all that Daddy had been trans ferred to the little town of Pine Val ley. Why vacation Bible school was more fun than swimming pools any day, and besides there was a swim ming hole in back of the church and the teacher said they were hav ing a picnic there the coming Satur day. Randy hurried along thinking these thoughts and eager to tell Mom and Dad about his day, and his meet ing with the Lord Jesus. THE KING'S BUSINESS
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