I heard a story recently, told by the father of a small boy. The boy had been plagued by health issues from the time of his birth, but was finally able to live a normal lifestyle. His family took a much-anticipated trip to Disney World and had a great time. When they arrived back home, however, the little boy discovered that his teddy bear had been left behind. The bear had been his constant companion through illness and hospital stays and the boy plaintively cried that he didn’t know how he could live without the teddy. Frantically, the parents called the hotel in Florida; no one had turned in a teddy bear. The father boarded a plane back to Orlando, drove to the hotel, and questioned all the housekeeping staff. One woman remembered seeing the bear…in the trash.
The father and several hotel staffers dashed to the basement, only to find that the trash had already been picked up. That was not the end. Dad and the hotel staff drove to the garbage dump, finagled their way in, and located the container which had come from the hotel — a huge metal dumpster the size of an 18-wheeler trailer. The container was emptied on the ground and all activity at the dump ceased while a half-dozen people began tearing open trash bags. Finally, the teddy bear was found, none the worse for wear, and the exhausted father took another plane back home.
I thought about this story for days after I heard it. If you’re a parent, you can probably identify with the dad, dropping everything to care for his child. Or maybe you feel like the child, knowing what it’s like to have a father care so much for you. But then a third thought occurred to me: I’m the teddy bear. Lost. Alone. Buried in garbage. Hopeless. But Someone came looking for me, digging through the decay and filth, never giving up until He found me and brought me home. How about that; I was enthralled by this story…and then I find out it’s about me!
It’s about you, too.
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