Made With Love

My granddaughter’s experience building a teddy bear reminded me of God’s great love for us.

As my granddaughter and I reached our destination, I saw the excitement grow in her eyes. We were going to build a teddy bear for her. We walked into the Build-A-Bear Workshop and were greeted by an employee who gave us a brief tour while she explained the process. First we were to pick a bear. Then we were to stuff it, wash it, pick clothes and dress it, name it, purchase it and love it.

There was a large assortment of teddy bears and other animals to select from. After we selected our bear, we walked to a huge machine and watched while another employee added stuffing, placed a small heart inside the bear and stitched the back.

Our next destination was the washing station. My granddaughter was handed a brush and was told to step on the pedal to make air come out so that she could “wash” the bear from head to toe to remove the excess lint. We then selected clothing, named the bear, received a birth certificate, promised to love it and paid for it.

A reminder of God’s love

Watching my granddaughter’s excitement reminded me of one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Ezekiel 16. It tells of God’s love for Jerusalem. It describes how He found her and established her, how she betrayed Him and how He reconciled with her. The chapter also reminds me of His love for us.

Like Jerusalem, we were lost to sin and cut off from God. We were going along with the world, unclean in our own blood, and the one we served (Satan) had no pity on us. He loathed us from the day we were born. We were not alone; all humanity was with us and experienced the same treatment.

Our great God looked and saw each of us individually and had compassion on us. It wasn’t because we were the tallest, smartest, richest or the most beautiful but because of His mercy and love.

God’s compassion; our calling

God saw us struggling like Jerusalem and said to us, “‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’” (Ezekiel 16:6).

I imagine it was at that moment our minds started to open to His truth. We read a biblical message, spoke to someone who attended God’s Church or finally realized that what we had learned all our lives is the truth. Somehow, an impression was made in our minds and God’s words started to form in our hearts.

Then God looked upon us and spread His wings over us and covered us with His love. Once we realized our life was paid for by the blood of His only begotten Son, we entered into a covenant with our loving Father to make us His very own. He washed off the blood of our sin through baptism and anointed us with oil through the laying on of hands to receive His Spirit.

The bride of Christ

Ezekiel 16:10-12 tells how God adorns us with clothes, shoes and accessories. He looks at us the way we are to be in the future—the bride of Christ dressed in fine linen. She has jewels of love, mercy, humility, righteousness and kindness. A beautiful crown is presented to her because she was faithful to Him.

Never forget

The rest of the chapter tells how Jerusalem trusted in her own beauty and betrayed the One who gave her life. God never gave up on her and will establish her again in the future after she repents.

The lesson I see is to continue to grow in grace and knowledge. I must never forget how I got to where I am. God intends to finish what He has started in us and will not turn His back on us if we hold onto Him. We must not trust in ourselves and betray the One who gave us life.

Made with love

My granddaughter helped make her own teddy bear and named it Shower. Shower sleeps with her every night and sits at the head of her bed to await her return at the end of the day.

Our Father has made us part of the bride of His Son. He will present to Christ a bride who has made herself ready because she trusted in the One who loved her and said to her, “Live!”

Chant’a Collier attends the Atlanta, Georgia, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, with her husband, Rodney. The couple enjoys spending time with their five grandchildren.

For more about God's love, see:

• Special Treasures of God
• Love--Only a Word?