The Blood of Jesus
It had been a most difficult week.
The twelve year-old son of our daughter’s best friend had drowned in Lake
Norfork. Blake was the oldest of their three children and our granddaughter’s
had spent much time with him during his short life. Most days found us weeping
tears of sadness from the sudden death of this young friend. Yet, we could
rejoice because his grandfather was able to stand at the funeral and tell the
story of Blake receiving Jesus Christ as his Personal Savior.
Our five year-old granddaughter, Mary Kathryn, came home from school the
following week excitedly showing us a picture she had drawn at school that
day. She had made it for the mother of young Blake who had drowned.
In the picture she had sketched two people.
"This is Blake", Mary Kathryn said, "And the other one is Jesus", she
continued with her explanation.
In Mary Kathryn’s picture, Blake and Jesus were in a white building she called
Heaven. They were standing on a street of gold. It was so precious! And I
loved it that my sweet Mary Kathryn would make something so lovely for this
mother who was sorrowing very deeply.
But, I noticed a small spot on the otherwise immaculate gold street. Thinking
it was a mistake on the paper, I asked Mary Kathryn about it. She looked up at
this grandma as if I should know why that tiny red spot was there. And then in
her little grown-up five year-old voice she said to me, "Grandma, that is the
blood of Jesus who died on the cross to save us from our sins."
The depth of maturity I saw and heard in Mary Kathryn that day startled me. It
shouldn’t have, but it did. After all she had asked that same Jesus into her
heart only a few short months before.
Mary Kathryn, her mother, and her sister went out the door to deliver the
picture. I stood with my hands lifted to heaven, praising God’s Holy Name,
knowing that their earthly playmate, Blake, was now walking in heaven on those
streets of gold. All because Jesus had shed His blood to cleanse us from our
sins, just like Mary Kathryn had illustrated so beautifully.
Melva Cooper copyright 1999
jmelva@cox-internet.com
Melva Cooper is a free-lance writer from Jonesboro, Arkansas. She writes for
Northeast Arkansas Parent and Christian Motorsports Illustrated. In addition
she has articles published on several websites and ezines.