“GOOD LITTLE BEAR”

It was sunny, the afternoon that Emma spent at her grandparent’s farm. Emma usually spent her time at the farm doing ordinary things. She played and explored or just followed her Grandmother around to help. Today though was no ordinary day, and Emma didn’t want to spend it doing ordinary things. You see, this was the day her Grandma was finally keeping her promise. This was the day she was making Emma’s bear.

Emma quickly slid next to her grandmother. She tried to stand there, not making a sound….but she just couldn’t…she was too excited. “Grandma are you done yet?” Emma blurted out.

Emma’s Grandma looked around and sighed. “What are you doing back in here”? I told you this would take a little while longer.” Grandma put down the bear and gave Emma a quick hug.

“Why don’t you run along outside and play?” Grandma suggested. “I’ll call you in as soon as I am done.” Hoping that Emma would take the hint and go outside for a while, Grandma got back to work on the bear.

Emma’s Grandmother loved her very much, but some quiet time during her visits was always welcome. She had so many questions about anything and everything; it was getting hard to keep up with her. When it became too much, Grandma knew she could always find some peace and quiet by hiding in her craft room.

“How sad.” Grandma said as she watched the news on the television. “That boy needs to fill the hole in his heart”.

Emma heard her Grandmothers comment and asked her, “Does he have a hole in his heart Grandma”?

Grandma turned to where Emma was standing and asked “What are your doing back in here”? “I’ll never get this done if you keep pestering me.”

“But his heart, does it really have a hole?” asked Emma as she pointed at the TV.

“No…I mean yes.” At that point Grandma paused to think before she answered. “It’s not a physical hole, not one that a doctor finds or even one that we can see. It does have a purpose though.” She stopped again seeing that Emma was clearly puzzled.

“You look confused. Maybe your bear can help me explain.” Grandma said, looking at the bear she was holding.

“My bear”? questioned Emma clearly not understanding.

“Yes, your bear” said Grandma, turning to show Emma the inside of the bear where she was sewing.

“Did you know that God knit you together in your mother’s belly” Grandma told Emma, as she finished sewing a seam.

“Really” giggled Emma.

“Uh huh, He took the time to make you good because He loves you. Just like I am trying to do with your bear.” Grandma told Emma as she carefully turned the bear right side out. “Now that he’s mostly sewn up, we can get him stuffed.” Grandma grabbed the bag of fiberfill and started to pull some out.

“You see, when God created us, He made us so good!” Grandma said. “Do you know what He wants most from us?”

Emma shrugged really not sure.

“Well, it’s that we love Him completely” said Grandma. “It says in the bible ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.’ Now when God made you, He gave you the ability to do that.”

“How”? Emma asked.

“Well, let me show you.” So Grandma took some of the fiberfill and handed it to Emma. “First let’s take some fluff and stuff his arms and legs. This will make him strong…just like God made you strong.” Grandma said as she watched Emma stuff the fluff into the bears arms and legs. “He did that so that you can love God with all your strength by using your arms to hug, hands to help and legs to walk along the path that God has for you.”

“How’s that Grandma?” Emma asked as she held the bear up for Grandma to see.

“Wow, he looks like he’s ready to give some good hugs” Grandma said with a smile.

“Now we are going to take some fluff and fill his head,” Grandma said as she handed more of the fluff to Emma. “Just like God wants to fill your mind with the good things the bible tells us. Everything in the bible is from God. It’s His word. It tells us how great God is, how He wants us to live and how much He loves all of us.”

“Let’s use some more Grandma…I want him to know a lot.” said Emma.

“Hold on now,” Grandma said placing her hand on Emma’s, “we wouldn’t want to think we know more than God.”

“Can we know more than God Grandma?” Emma asked.

“No, but sometimes we think we do.” Grandma said. “That is why we are going to use some fluff and fill up the rest of his belly. This will help us to remember to love the Lord with all our soul.”

“What’s a soul?” Emma asked.

Grandma thought for a moment then asked, “Did you ever get a yucky feeling in your belly, when you wanted to do something that you knew was wrong?”

Emma looked at her Grandma and nodded sadly.

“It’s ok Emma, so have I,” responded Grandma. “That’s our soul reminding us to do what is right. You see, sometimes we know what’s right in our head, but we may still want to do what’s wrong. God uses our soul to remind us to follow His law.” Grandma told Emma. “It’s also the part of us that hurts when one of our friends are hurting or when we see someone who needs our help.”

Emma listened as she continued to fill the belly of the bear with fluff.

“Give him a squeeze.” Emma carefully picked up her bear and hugged him gently. “Is that enough fluff?” Grandma asked.

“He feels good Grandma.” said Emily.

“That’s great, because he needs to have a soft place for a very special part.” said Grandma. “His Heart.”

“Does my bear have a hole in his heart like the man on tv?” asked Emma.

Grandma knew there was no hole in the wooden heart that she had bought at the craft store earlier in the day.

“Well, no. But I know how to take care of that.” Said Grandma. She then walked over to a cabinet and got a small drill.

“Now where is the patient?” Grandma asked as she walked back over to the table where the bear was laying. Emma then handed her the wooden heart.

“Hmm, I see the problem now,” Grandma said in her best doctor voice. She put the heart on the table and made a neat little hole with her drill. She then handed the heart to Emma and apologized, “Sorry I forgot, but you have to remember that God has a lot more practice at this than I do”.

“Thank you Grandma” Emma said.

“You’re welcome,” Grandma said, “Now let’s put that heart where it belongs.”

“Right here?” asked Emma as she placed the heart into the bear.

“Perfect… just like God made us,” Grandma said as she carefully took the bear and started to sew the last seam together.

“You see we all have a hole in our heart.” Grandma told Emily. “Sometimes we forget about it, but God doesn’t. That hole is meant to be filled …and there is only one thing that will fit that hole.”

“What Grandma?” asked Emma.

“It’s Jesus.” Grandma said. “That’s the way He made us. You see the things that we love the most or think are the most important take up space in our heart. The bible calls them treasure. It also says ‘Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ So God wanted to make sure that He was the most important treasure we had in our hearts, because He is the perfect treasure.”

“Problem is…we fill up our hearts with many things…and sometimes we even try to fill that space that is just for God with something else” said Grandma. “Luckily it never works, nothing else fits. God made all of us and that hole is for Him only.”

“Will there always be a hole?” Emma asked.

“Well if we choose to live a life for God and accept His Son Jesus as our savior, God will send His Holy Spirit to fill that hole.” Grandma told her. ‘And because we are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,’ That’s what the bible says, and that is what has happened in my life.” .

“Really?” asked Emma surprised. Grandma nodded as she finished tying the last knot and cut the string. She then handed the bear to Emma, who stood quietly looking at it.

“Grandma, does He live there forever?” Emma asked.

“Yes.” Grandma told her. “He fills that hole up so perfectly, but he doesn’t just stay there. You see, Jesus wants us to grow in faith, and to do that we have to live the way God wants us to. The more our faith grows, the more the Spirit will grow in us. It will outgrow that hole, and eventually fill our whole lives. That’s when we truly love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength . Just like the verse says…and that’s what God wants from all of us.

“Even my bear?” Emma asked.

“No,” her Grandma said with a smile. “Your bear may have a hole in his heart but the promise of life in the bible is just for God’s special creation, men, women and little children.

“Grandma?” Emma asked uncertainly. “Do I have a hole in my heart?”

“Yes Emma. God created a special place in your heart too.” Grandma replied.

“It sounds scary”. Emma said as she turned and looked at her Grandmother.

“It’s ok,” Grandma said as she gathered Emma into her lap. “One day it won’t be so scary, and on that day you won’t feel fear. You’ll know deep in your soul, and you’ll gladly ask Him fill your heart. We’re all praying on it. Until then both you and your bear will have a hole, just waiting to be filled.”



Copyright 2008 Cheryl Mendoza