Little Nelly's Question

Little Nelly's Question

It was a bright and breezy day at the beach. I was talking about Jesus to several boys and girls seated around me on the sand.

One little girl named Nelly asked me, “What does saved mean? Isn’t that what lifeguards do? How does Jesus save?”

“Who told you that Jesus saves?” I questioned.

“A man in church told me. He said I must be saved.”

“He must have thought you were lost, Nelly. Are you lost now?” I asked.

“I’m not lost,” she quickly responded. “I can see my brother and my mom right over there.”

“You may not be lost to your brother and your mom, but you are lost to God and heaven because of sin. Do you know what sin is?”

“Sin is when I use bad words and fight with my brother and disobey my mother and tell lies.”

“Nelly, God hates sin. Sin is what keeps us from heaven. Because of sin we are lost. But because God loves us so much, He sent His Son Jesus to save us from our sins. When does the lifeguard save people, Nelly?”

“When they are drowning and cannot save themselves,” she said confidently.

“Now, think really hard. Tell me when we need Jesus to save us,” I asked.

“I don’t know. My mom never told me that.”

“When we are lost in our sins,” I explained. “Jesus Christ is God’s Son. He made everything—this ocean, this sand, the sky, these seashells, even you and me. Many years ago, He came down from heaven to die for our sins. Even though you are very young, you are a sinner. Can you save yourself from sin?”

She replied sadly, “I try to be good, but it doesn’t last long. I guess I can’t.”

“You’re right,” I told her. “None of us can. The Bible says that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23). But it also tells us that ‘while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8). He loves us that much!”

We did not notice the tide coming in until it washed away our sand castles. As we moved to the safety of a large rock, I said, “On this solid rock we are safe. Jesus is called the solid rock in the Bible (Matthew 7:24-27). Nelly, make sure you are standing on Him or you will be lost for sure.”

“I will trust Him!” Nelly promised.

What about you? Do you know what sin is? Do you know what it means to be saved? Is Jesus your Savior? Are you trusting Him as your solid rock? He is the only way to eternal safety.

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