Sacrifice of Love

"Come on, Winston," Ellis called to his dog. "Let's go explore along the creek. We can cross the pasture today because the cows are way off on the other side." Winston came running, and they started out.When Ellis stopped to examine some tracks, he heard an angry bellow. His feet froze as a black Angus bull crashed through the brush and charged toward him. Winston lunged at the animal, snarling furiously. The bull shook his head and turned his attention to Winston. As Ellis pulled himself into a tree, the bull rammed the dog against the ground. When Ellis looked back down, he saw the angry bull charge Winston again, then return to the brush. He climbed down from the tree and hurried to Winston's still form. A lump rose in his throat, and he sprinted toward the house. "Dad! Mom!" he called frantically. "Help me!" His parents came running, and tears streamed down Ellis's cheeks as he told them about the bull. Dad followed Ellis to where Winston was and put his ear to the dog's chest. "His heart is still beating. Let's get him to the vet." The vet found that Winston had a broken rib and a concussion, but he'd be okay. "We'll keep him here overnight, then you can come get him in the morning."As Ellis and Dad rode home, Ellis spoke quietly. "Winston went after that bull so it wouldn't hurt me."Dad nodded. "Winston was willing to face injury and even death so you could live." After a moment, he added, "That's what Jesus did for us too. He willingly suffered pain and died on a cross to save us from eternal death. He offers us the gift of eternal life.""He loves us a lot to be willing to do that, doesn't He?" asked Ellis. "He sure does," said Dad. "He knew that sacrificing His life was the only way to save us. Because of our sin, there was nothing we could do to save ourselves."Ellis sighed as he looked out the window. "I'm so glad Winston is going to be okay after fighting that bull to save me," he said. "And I'm so glad Jesus loved me enough to die for me."Dad smiled at him. "Me too." -Karen L. Blumhagen