Memory Gem: “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14:4).
Ellen was discouraged! The 15-year-old girl loved Jesus, but she didn’t feel that she would ever be good enough to please Him. Later Ellen wrote about her feelings during this time. “It seemed to me that my doom was fixed, that the Spirit of the Lord had left me, never to return.”* But one night Ellen had a dream that helped her see things in a whole new light.
In the dream Ellen saw herself in deep sadness. If only I could see Jesus, He’d help me feel better! she thought. Just then in the dream an angel appeared. “Do you wish to see Jesus?” the angel asked Ellen. “He is here, and you can see Him if you desire to do so. Take everything you possess and follow me.”
Of course she wanted to see Jesus! So in the dream Ellen gathered up her few possessions and followed the angel. “Keep looking upward,” the angel told Ellen, “or else you might grow dizzy and fall.”
What a dream Ellen was having! Her heart seemed full of joy as she followed the angel up a steep stairway. At last Ellen stood before a door. “Leave your things here,” the angel said to Ellen in the dream. With that, the angel swung open the door . . . and there stood Jesus!
Ellen could hardly believe it! Suddenly she fell at her Savior’s feet. Jesus came near to Ellen, and with a gentle smile on His face, He placed His hand on the girl’s head. “Fear not,” He told Ellen. Ellen felt too filled with joy to speak. In the dream she seemed to know that she’d reached the safety and peace of heaven itself! Jesus’ loving eyes were still upon her, and Ellen’s heart bubbled up with joy. Now Ellen realized that it was only by trusting in Jesus that she would one day live in heaven.
Soon in the dream the angel guide opened the door. Ellen and the angel left the presence of Jesus, but something had changed—something too wonderful for words.
Now something else most unusual happened in the dream. The angel handed Ellen a green cord. “Place this next to your heart,” the angel instructed. “When you wish to see Jesus, take the green cord and stretch it all the way out. Do this often, because you don’t want the cord to get knotted up,” the angel said. To Ellen, the green cord represented faith and trusting in Jesus.
In the dream Ellen placed the cord near her heart and joyfully went down the narrow stairway. Along the way, she praised God and excitedly told everyone she met along the way where they could find Jesus.
When Ellen awoke, the world seemed brighter, and she had a peace in her heart that hadn’t been there before. And it was all because of Jesus!
* Ellen G. White, Early Writings (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1882, 1945), p. 79. See also pages 80 and 81.
Think it through
- What is the main point of the “green cord dream”?
- Has Ellen White affected your life? If so, how?
- Why do you think some people choose to not pay attention to Ellen White’s messages?
Do it!
Using a shoelace, yarn, or something similar, make your own “green cord.” Keep it where it will help to remind you that any time is a good time to trust in Jesus! Perhaps attach a favorite Bible promise to the cord.
Cut a piece of cardboard about seven inches (17.78 centimeters) tall and five inches (12.7 centimeters) wide. Cut a door that can open, leaving about a half-inch “door frame.” (See illustration.) Draw or find a nice picture of Jesus and glue it to the backside of the doorframe. If you wish, you can cut a window in the door to show Jesus’ face. Now, whenever you open the door, Jesus will be waiting for you!
