Security Blanket

Hi, this is Marilyn. When I was four years old, my great-great-aunt gave me a yarn doll for Christmas. I named him Button Eyes and I loved him so much. I did everything with Button Eyes--I dressed him in doll's clothes, pretended he was a patient in my hospital (where I was a nurse), sat him at the dinner table with me. He slept beside me every night, and whenever I went on an overnight trip, Button Eyes went with me. I loved Button Eyes and I was sure that if he were living and breathing, he would love me back. He was my faithful friend and my security blanket.

One day, just as my family was about to go home after a week-long visit at my grandparents' house, I couldn't find Button Eyes. I panicked! We were about to leave, but we all had to look for Button Eyes. Everyone in the family scoured the house for my yarn doll, but no one could find him. So, I had to go home without him--my beloved friend, my security blanket. It was the first time I'd been without him since I'd gotten him for Christmas almost two years before. I was sad, somber, and scared for weeks.

Have you ever lost something that made you feel safe? Were you every cut off from a source of security? How did you feel? What happened to make you feel better?
For the past few days I've been studying this Scripture, Isaiah 43:1-2:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
   I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
 When you pass through the waters,
   I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
   they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
   you will not be burned;
   the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD your God,
   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom..."

Whenever I read it again, I feel so safe, secure, and loved by God that it makes me smile. (I'll confess--sometimes it makes me cry.) It reminds me that no matter what I'm going through, God stays close to me and protects me, now and forever. No matter what you lose here on earth, you will always have God. And God is all you really ever need :)

So, what happened to Button Eyes? you might be asking. The story has a happy ending! A few months later when my family went to stay with my grandparents for Christmas, my grandmother (we called her "Nana") took my hand and said, "I have a surprise for you," and led me to her bedroom. She opened her closet door, and sitting on the shelf was my dear Button Eyes. I swept him up into my arms and pressed him close to me. "This is better than a birthday present!" I exclaimed. And it was. But, as I have found out since, it wasn't the best present, which is the unfailing gift of God's love and grace.

And may He bless you!

Btw, here's Button Eyes today.  He looks old and worn, but that's what happens when you've been well-loved!