The Surprise

Many years ago in central Wisconsin, there was a small farm where the Smith family lived in a large square house painted green. It was the only green house for miles around so it was easy to give directions to their place.

Although Mr. Smith had been a carpenter, and had even built the green house in which the family lived, he didn’t go around building houses anymore. He liked farming better. Of course, there was always plenty of work to do on a farm, and even buildings were needed from time to time.

Mrs. Smith had been a teacher, but now she was busy with five children in the family, so she didn’t teach in school anymore. She liked outdoor work best, and loved to work in the fields or garden. But some things needed to be mended, and rainy days were just right for mending.

The oldest child in the Smith family was twelve-year-old Mary, and she loved to cook. Since her mother worked outside so much, she was glad to let Mary do a lot of the cooking — even trying out new recipes!

Next was ten-year-old Patty. Often she was Mary’s helper, so she learned many things about cooking too. The children took turns doing some of the outside chores, and sometimes it was Patty’s turn to gather eggs from the henhouse.

Eight-year-old Sally especially liked to feed the chickens. Whenever the chickens saw her with a pail of feed, they came running, even before she called them. Of course, all three girls took turns washing and drying dishes. Often they really hurried so they would have some time to play.

The two youngest children were four-year-old Billy and two-year-old Johnny. There were many things too hard for them to do, but they could carry potato peelings or other scraps out to the pigs. They loved to watch the pigs! They could fill the wood-box with wood for the kitchen stove, too.

The Smiths had cows that had to be milked before breakfast every morning, and late every afternoon, just after supper. That meant there was extra work each summer putting up hay or raising grain to feed the cows and other animals. Yes, the farm was a busy place — always something to do.

All three girls walked to a little country school about a mile and a quarter away from home. They always liked to go early so they could play with some of their schoolmates. When their mother told them they didn’t need to go so early, they said, “But we’ll be late!” But their wise mother knew how much time they needed to get to school in plenty of time.

One day when the three girls came home from school, Mary asked her mother, “Why do the Wilson kids say their church is the only right church? They were telling us about it at recess time today. They said they have to confess their sins to their priest — and that they can’t eat meat on Friday because it’s wrong. They said people like we are can’t go to Heaven when we die because we don’t go to their kind of church.”

Mother answered, “Some families grow up with the same kind of beliefs that their parents or grandparents had. They go more by the traditions of their church than by what the Bible says. Traditions are man-made. The Bible is given by God. God doesn’t change, so His Word doesn’t change. God’s Word is true, no matter what people say or believe. It’s important to know what God’s Word tells us to believe, because it’s what we believe about the Lord Jesus Christ that determines whether we get to Heaven or not.”

Mother continued, “You know the Gospel as it is given in I Corinthians 15:3-4 How that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures. If we truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we’re saved — just like Acts 16:31 tells us. And we can be sure we’ll be in Heaven forever — because of what Christ did for us, not what any church does for us.”

Patty said, “The Wilson kids say they believe that Christ died on the cross for sins, too. But they don’t believe like we do, do they?”

Mother answered, “No, there is a difference. They know that Christ died on the cross because of our sins. But they don’t really believe that what He did was enough to pay for all of their sins. They think that their church has to help, too. But when Jesus Christ hung on the cross, He said, It is finished! He paid for all the sins of all the people who ever lived or ever would live — throughout the whole world. Then how many sins would be left for us to pay for?”

Sally answered, “There wouldn’t be any!”

Mother continued, “That’s right. The resurrection of Christ proved that God the Father was satisfied with Christ’s payment for all of our sins. So when we believe in or trust in Christ and what He has done for us, what does He give us, according to John 3:16?”

“Everlasting life,” answered Mary. “And that’s God’s kind of life, the kind we need to live in Heaven. Right?”

Mother answered, “Right. You see, when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live inside of each believer. That’s what counts — what’s on the inside. God sees the inside, and He knows whether a person is a real Christian or not. We need to know our Bible and be sure that what we believe is right. You can pray for your friends, and give them Bible verses, but don’t argue with them. They will find it hard to change their thinking, because they have been taught that the Bible is too hard for them to understand, so they should believe what their church teaches.”

After school closed in May, the Smith girls had another chore that they enjoyed doing. They had to take the cows to the pasture that was a mile away. Since the home place was only eighty acres, and most of that land was used for fields or a wood lot, there really wasn’t much pasture for the cows. That’s why the Smith family had bought forty acres of land a mile east of their home. There was plenty of good green grass growing there, and a creek ran though the land so the cows had plenty of water to drink.

Every morning two of the sisters would take the cows down the dirt road to the pasture a mile away. Late every afternoon, they would go and bring them home. They all liked this job. Do you know why?

Of course they enjoyed seeing the pretty flowers along the way, the birds, squirrels, or other little animals. But there was something they liked to do. They liked to ride on a cow’s back! In the spring when they first tried to do this, sometimes the cow would just stand still — or else she would run and try to shake the rider off her back — or brush them against the fence along the ditch, or under branches or trees that grew close to the road. It was a challenge to learn to ride a cow! But one by one, the cows got used to it and didn’t seem to mind. By the end of the summer, almost every cow in the herd could be ridden — although there were some favorites. There were few cars in those days, and somehow nobody ever got hurt.

Sometimes when the girls went to get the cows, they were waiting at the gate. But they sometimes were way at the other end of the pasture. That’s why the leader cow wore a bell. You could hear the bell when the cow walked, or if she shook her head. Then you would have to walk through the bushes, or perhaps cross the creek, find the cows, and make them walk to the gate and on the road toward home.

One day when Mary and Sally went for the cows, the cows were not waiting at the gate. But the girls could hear the bell, so they went through the pasture a different way, going among some small trees and bushes. There among the bushes was a pretty little tree with short green needles. That was unusual for there were no pine trees or spruce trees in that pasture.

“Oh, look!” exclaimed Sally. “Wouldn’t that make a pretty tree for Christmas? It’s just the right size.”

“I think so, too,” said Mary. “That wouldn’t be too far for us to come and get it just before Christmas. We shouldn’t have any trouble finding it then because all the other trees will lose their leaves. We should easily see a green tree in winter. I’ll show it to Patty the next time she comes with me, but I’m sure she will like it. Let’s keep it a secret among us girls. What a nice surprise it will be when we bring home this little Christmas tree!”

Summer passed quickly, with all the work on the farm to do. School days slipped by as well, and soon it was time to prepare for Christmas.

Mary, Patty and Sally hadn’t forgotten about the pretty little Christmas tree that would be waiting for them in the pasture a mile away. Sometimes it was hard not to let others in on their secret. “Won’t it be a big surprise when we come home with that little Christmas tree?” whispered Mary. “Pa won’t have to get one for us this year.”

“Shall I come along to help, too?” asked Sally.

“No, Sally, I’m sure Mary and I can handle it very well,” replied Patty. “We could take the sled if we thought it would be too heavy to carry home. But I’m sure it won’t be too heavy for us.” Mary agreed.

The snow wasn’t too deep so Mary and Patty had a happy time going after the little Christmas tree. “I remember just about where it was,” said Mary, “Even though we don’t go to that part of the pasture very often. We’ll just look for a little green tree among all the bare trees or bushes.”

But when they reached the part of the pasture where they thought the little tree would be, they couldn’t see any green tree at all. Could somebody else have come and taken the tree for their Christmas tree? Finally they gave up looking for the little tree and went back home.

Sally had been waiting for them. “Didn’t you get it?” she asked.

Mary shook her head. “We couldn’t find it. I wonder if somebody else came and got it before we got there.”

“Well, then, I guess we don’t have a surprise after all,” replied Sally. “We might as well ask Pa to get a Christmas tree for us just like other years.”

Mary, Patty, and Sally went to talk to their mother. “We thought we would have a nice surprise for you,” said Mary. “Last summer we saw the cutest little tree in our pasture and we decided we’d get it for our Christmas tree. But when Patty and I went for it today, we couldn’t find it. It was the only little tree with needles last summer so we were sure that all the other trees would lose their leaves and we would be able to see it easily in winter. What do you think happened to the little tree?”

Mother smiled. “If you go back again next summer, I’m sure you’ll find that little tree again — as pretty and green as last summer. You see, that little tree is a tamarack. Although it has needles and looks like an evergreen, it really isn’t an evergreen. Its needles turn yellow in the fall, and later those needles drop off so new green needles can grow. That’s the nature of a tamarack.”

Mary and Patty looked at each other in surprise. “So that’s why we couldn’t see it! We were looking for green branches! Tamaracks don’t make good Christmas trees!”

“Well, it sure fooled us,” said Sally. “But it won’t fool us again!”

Mother smiled as she said, “That reminds me of two kinds of people. Sometimes people look alike on the outside, but they are very different on the inside where only God can see. Some people say they are Christians and perhaps even talk like a Christian, and act like they think a Christian should act. But they are not real Christians. They do not have God’s nature inside. Anything on the outside can be imitated. But if a person truly believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting only in what Christ accomplished for us by His death and resurrection for our sins, he is born-again into God’s family. He has eternal life dwelling within. The Holy Spirit living in the believer can produce in the believer the fruit of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, goodness, etc. The unsaved person can only imitate such things. His old nature cannot produce the good fruit of the Spirit. Such a person might fool people but not God!”

Patty said, “But if a person fools himself into thinking he is a Christian when he really isn’t, it’s serious, isn’t it?”

“It certainly is serious,” answered Mother. “It makes a difference of whether a person will be in Heaven with the Lord for all eternity — or whether he will be in a place of torment, separated from God and all that is good. That’s why we should know and believe what God’s Word teaches — and be sure we’re saved. God wants us to know for sure. I John 5:13 tells us, These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

How about you? Are you a true child of God by faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done for you? Or are you only an imitation Christian? Remember, you can fool people, but you can’t fool God! g

Mrs. Lydia Erb has been actively involved in ministry at Heritage Trail Bible Church, Gilbert, MN since 1974.