Boat Ride

It was a perfect day out on the lake--the air was hot and the water was cool. Gracie enjoyed the breeze as her dad motored their boat across the water."Okay, Teddy, you sit here and watch while I swim," Gracie told her teddy bear when the boat had stopped. She sat Teddy down near the boat's dashboard and then jumped into the water. Shadow, their dog, loved the water too, and he jumped in right behind her.After an afternoon of swimming and tubing, Gracie and her parents tucked everything on the boat into place and then took off across the lake toward the dock."Oh no!" cried Gracie when she realized she'd forgotten her teddy bear.Teddy went flying out of the boat. Dad slowed to a stop, and Shadow jumped in the water and retrieved the stuffed bear."Oh, thank you, Shadow," Gracie said as she gave the dog a hug."Wow, that was a close call," Mom said as Gracie squeezed as much water as she could out of her soaking-wet bear. "You'd better hold on to Teddy when Dad takes off again.""I will!" Gracie said as she held Teddy close. Shadow plopped down beside Gracie for the rest of the boat ride.When they arrived home, Mom put Teddy in the washing machine. "Good as new!" she announced as she handed Teddy to Gracie once he was clean.During devotions that night, Dad read Galatians 1:4--"Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live." He closed his Bible. "Shadow jumping in and rescuing Teddy today got me thinking about this verse," Dad said. "Just like Shadow rescued Teddy because he couldn't rescue himself, Jesus rescues us from our sins because we can't rescue ourselves either. By dying for our sins on the cross, Jesus made a way for us to have eternal life and live with Him forever. When we trust in Him, He saves us."Gracie sat thinking, holding Teddy close. "I want Jesus to save me," she said. That night Gracie gave her life to Jesus. –Lisa Fuller