The Grand Adventure

Alone in my son’s house, I began looking at all the “things” that surrounded me and I found myself reminiscing about the many joyful times we shared here with Phillip.

Sitting across from me is a rather weathered leather couch where Phillip once proudly sat with his very first pile of Teddy Bears we stuffed together. That was a magical moment for him, and for all of us.

Looking back now, I can see God’s perfect plan revealed. We didn’t know it then, but we know now, that God had placed before Phillip, and all of us, a grand adventure, the likes of which none of us could have ever imagined.

The walls of that house, once somewhat bare, are now decorated with flags and trinkets from around the world. The once empty spaces are now filled with stuffed Teddy Bears, Pandas, Lions and Lambs. Pictures of God’s children clinging on to little brown bears. God often works in such mysterious and beautiful ways.

What began as a simple exercise of therapy play to help Phillip develop his motor skills and raise his self-esteem grew into a global ministry-one that has introduced tens of thousands of children and adults across the world to the love and warmth of Christ.

And as I ponder all that has taken place in this little house over the past years, I know that only a perfect and loving God could accomplish such things with nothing more than a little boy’s loving heart, a few Teddy Bear shells and a box of stuffing.

Perhaps that is the wonder of it all. God does not need grand beginnings to accomplish grand purposes. He can take the smallest act of love, place it in the hands of a willing child, and carry it farther than anyone could ever imagine.

What began with a little boy sitting on a weathered leather couch has reached across oceans, crossed borders, comforted children of war, entered homes, hospitals, orphanages, and hearts, carrying with it a quiet message that every child is seen, every child has value, and the love of Christ can be felt even through the soft embrace of a Teddy Bear.

And so, as I sit here surrounded by these memories, I realize that this house is not merely filled with “things” but is a testament. Every bear, every flag, every empty space now made full speaks of the faithfulness of God and His perfect plan. And somewhere in the mystery of His perfect plan, a little boy’s simple joy became a doorway through which the love of Christ has reached the world.

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