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Teddy Bears

            However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— (I Corinthians 2:9)

          This morning’s passage brings to mind the drawings of a little girl holding her tiny teddy bear while Jesus holds out one hand, clearly asking for the toy. What the little girl can’t see is that He’s holding a bigger teddy bear behind His back. The verse is also an answer – possibly the answer – to yesterday’s question of why we do such stupid things. Because they are in our hands, we think they meet our needs in some small way, and they don’t ask as much of us as we imagine the thing God holds does.

          I don’t really like the illustration of the little girl and the teddy hear. Part of me doesn’t like that He doesn’t show the girl the toy He has for her. It also seems to me that often, if I give up my pathetic toy bear, I don’t get the big one. Hebrews 11 talks about this. The heroes of the faith did not receive the thing promised during their lifetimes. Another reason it bothers me is that Scripture tells us repeatedly that we are to treasure, seek, and love God above all those things. So we should drop the teddy bear not because Jesus has a better teddy bear for us, but we should drop the teddy bear because Jesus asks us to.

          And yet, there’s today’s passage. We can’t begin to imagine what God has prepared for us. We can’t begin to imagine God. We think we can, but the realization will be greater than the anticipation. We see through a glass darkly, if at all. There are things that He has prepared for us. That suggests that there might be bigger, better teddy bears. And sometimes, He might have them for us right now, and other times, He may require us to give up the tattered teddy now, and walk with Him for many miles before we get the new one. It’s all about trust – again.

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