Love and a welcome awaiting

Love and a welcome awaiting

John Todd was a preacher back in the late 1800′s. When he was 6 years old, both of his parents died. So a kind-hearted aunt raised him until he left home to study for the ministry.

Years later, this aunt became seriously ill, & even though she was a Christian, she wrote him a letter expressing her fear of death. Here, condensed from his autobiography, is the letter he sent her in reply:

“It is now 35 years since I, as a boy of 6, was left quite alone in the world. You sent me word you would give me a home & be a kind mother to me. I have never forgotten the day I made the long journey to your house. I can still recall the disappointment when, instead of coming for me yourself, you sent your hired man, Caesar, to fetch me.

“I remember my tears and anxiety as, perched high on the back of the horse and clinging tight to Caesar, I rode off to my new home. Night fell before we finished the journey, and I became lonely and afraid. ‘Do you think she’ll go to bed before we get there?’ I asked Caesar.

“‘Oh no!’ he said reassuringly, ‘She’ll stay up for you. When we get out o’ these woods, you’ll see her light shinin’ in the window.’

“Presently we did ride out into the clearing, & there, sure enough, was your light. I remember you were waiting at the door, that you put your arms close about me – a tired and bewildered little boy. You had a fire burning on the hearth, a hot supper waiting on the stove. After supper you took me to my new room, heard me say my prayers, & then sat beside me till I fell asleep.

“Auntie, some day soon God will send for you, to take you to a new home. Don’t fear the summons, the strange journey, or the messenger of death. God can be trusted to do as much for you as you were kind enough to do for me so many years ago. At the end of the road you will find love and a welcome awaiting, and you will be safe in God’s care.”