a beautiful little girl was born.
This young couple was unsaved.
In fact they had somehow grown to hate anything
and everything that had anything to do with God,
and His Son Jesus Christ.
Instead of doing as they should, and presenting
the baby to the Lord for His blessing,
they made a vow that the little girl,
whom we shall call Melinda,
was never to be allowed exposure to anything
that had to do with Christianity.
Throughout her young girlhood she wasn't allowed
to go to Sunday School. If a preacher or soul
winners from a local church visited their home,
Melinda was sent to her room before
the visitors were let in.
Melinda's parents and grandparents were well-to-do;
and she had more toys and dolls than she could
keep up with, and ate only the best of foods
and wore the very best clothing money could buy.
Her parents made sure of her secular and cultural training.
She studied piano, voice, and ballet with
the best teachers and instructors money could afford.
But her parents were doing a very good job of keeping
her away from learning anything about the Lord.
One day Melinda's mother was baking her husband
a birthday cake, and she discovered that she lacked
a certain ingredient. She called her beautiful nine-year
old daughter and gave her some money and sent
her to the store to purchase the ingredient.
Her orders were that the girl should go straight
down the street to the store, purchase
the article and come straight home.
Melinda, glad to be going out in the sunny
spring day, skipped down the street,
went into the store and purchased the article,
and started back home.
Melinda decided it might be fun to take
a different route home. So she turned
left at an intersection and walked up a back street.
She knew that it would intersect a little farther
up with the street that would lead to her home,
so no harm could come of it. As she walked
along she began to hear some pretty singing
and music, and the farther she walked, the
louder it became. Finally, she
saw that the singing and music was coming
from a big building just across the street from her.
Melinda loved music and singing, and she possessed
the natural curiosity of a nine year old, so she
crossed the street and entered the building.
Though she didn't know it, this was a mission
house, and inside was a goodly number
of down-and-outers: a cross section of the
folks from the lower echelon of society;
but many seated there had experienced the
regenerating power of receiving Jesus Christ
into their lives. Some were there,
just fulfilling their obligation for
having been given breakfast and perhaps
some article of clothing.
As Melinda shyly entered, they looked back
and smiled at the beautiful little girl.
She sat down in back, thinking she would
stay just a little while and listen to the
group on the podium singing such a beautiful
song, but one she had never heard before.
The group finished their song,
and a pleasant-face gentleman came to the
podium and welcomed the assemblage.
After a word of prayer, he began to preach.
Melinda knew she should get up
and hurry on home, but something
seemed to hold her to her seat. The preacher
was talking about Who Jesus is,
and the many compassionate miracles he performed,
and finally describing his arrest,
trial and cruel treatment by the Roman solders
and King Herod Antipas' guards;
and finally his crucifixion.
"At that very time of year when lambs were
being sacrificed for a covering
for sin, Jesus Christ became the Lamb of God;
not to cover our sins,
but to take them away.
Jesus had never committed a sin as we have,
but he took all our sins to the Cross,
and was nailed there:
shedding His precious blood
to cleanse us from all sin and make
us ready to go to Heaven."
The missionary preached on about why it was
necessary for Christ to come down to earth
and give His life on Calvary's cross to pay
our sin debt. Tears flowed from Melinda's beautiful
hazel eyes. The singing group came back to
the podium to join the missionary, the piano
started up, and they began to sing
"There's Room At the Cross For You."
After the first verse and chorus the missionary
began the altar call. With the group
singing softly behind him,
"Some of you have gone too long, living you
life without Jesus and his wonderful gift
of salvation." He said. "Here at the mission house
we have offered many of you gifts of food,
shelter and articles of clothing.
You accepted those gifts, and we're glad;
but a greater gift is being offered:
the greatest gift ever offered to anyone.
The free gift of salvation. And with that gift,
another wonderful thing comes to pass:
you are adopted into the family of God
and become joint heirs with Christ.
Melinda found herself walking down the aisle
to the altar in front of the podium.
Her face was streaked with tears.
A lady knelt beside Melinda and hugged her;
then took her Bible and quietly explained how
she could give her heart and life
to Jesus and be saved. Melinda repeated
the sinner's prayer. There was "joy unspeakable
and full of glory" in Melinda's heart as she
left the mission house. When she had started
from home there was a warm sun shining, but now a
cold rain was pouring down. Melinda knew
she would be punished for being gone so
long and worrying her parents. By the
time she arrived home her pretty dress
was drenched, and her blonde curls hung limp
down the side of her face. She shivered.
Melinda's mother angrily jerked her around to
face her, plying her with questions about where she had
been so long. Her father came in with an expression
on his face that scared Melinda.
Finally, she spoke, "Mama - Daddy -- I'm sorry I
worried you by being gone so long, but I have
something wonderful to tell you. I heard some
pretty singing and music,and went inside a building.
They told me all about Jesus dying on a cross. Mama,
Daddy, I gave my heart to Jesus." Melinda was
interrupted by a loud anguished sound coming
from deep in her father's throat.
He uttered blasphemous profane exclamations,
and became as a man possessed. Melinda had
never seen her father like that. Then she
saw him strip off his heavy belt and approach her.
Melinda's mother wept in loud cries as her husband
beat her daughter until she fell to the floor,
mercifully passing out.
For two days Melinda was confined to her bedroom.
The harsh beating had left not only
bruises, but some lacerations. Her mother
applied ointments and alcohol rub, saying very little;
sometimes with tears in her eyes. The morning
of the third day, Melinda awakened with a raging
fever and raspy breathing. A doctor was summoned;
his diagnosis being double pneumonia. These were the
days before penicillin was available. Several
medications were tried, but Melinda's condition
only worsened. The fever raged on; and Melinda moved
in and out of consciousness; sometimes
murmuring bits and pieces of the wonderful things
she had heard at the mission. Her mother
sat by her bed patting her forehead with
a cold cloth. The doctor came by briefly,
leaving the room sadly shaking his head.
Just before dark Melinda sat up in bed and called
for her mother. Her mother had lost a lot
of sleep, and had dozed off when she was
awakened by Melinda's call. When she
saw her sitting up in bed it gave her a happy start.
She thought the fever had broke and there
would be a chance for Melinda to recover after all.
"Mama." Melinda said softly. "Yes, sweetheart;
I'm here." "Mama, I want you to bring me the dress I
was wearing that day." "No honey," Her mother
groaned. "You don't want to see that thing. It was
soiled and torn -- and - had some bloodstains
on it. I threw it in the
trash." "Please Mama, go and get it for me."
"But why, Melinda?" Her mother protested.
Melinda's father appeared in the doorway
of the bedroom with guilt and grief written
all over his haggard face. Melinda had lain back down
again, closing her eyes. She hadn't seen her father enter.
She spoke softly, but loud enough
for both parents to hear her final words on earth.
"Mama, an angel came and told me I would be going
to Heaven soon. I wanted to take
the dress with me so I could show Jesus
that I shed some blood for him."
Written By: Roy L. Spinks
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