My nine-year-old daughter, Hollie, has had her teddy bear since before she was born. Bill & I bought Bearsnickles in June of 1999 during a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate my thirtieth birthday. Because Hollie was along for the ride (I was four months pregnant), we stopped at Caesars Palace to buy her first souvenir at the FAO Schwarz toy store.

With my fortieth birthday—and another trip to Las Vegas—fast approaching, I retold Hollie the story of how Snickles came to live with our family. The day after learning that her snuggly companion was ten years old, Hollie came downstairs with bear in hand and a sad look on her face as she said: “Mom, I don’t think Snickles is going to grow.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“He’s older than me and look how much bigger I am than him,” she said while holding up the bear for me to see.

I gently reminded my youngest that Snickles would always have a special place in our family, even though he would never grow like she wished he would. A short while later, I was walking by Hollie’s room when I glanced inside to find the bear propped up against a pillow on her bed with his paws resting on a Nintendo DS.

“He’s winding down before he falls asleep,” Hollie explained when I stepped into her room for a closer look. 

“The DS is just the right size for him to hold.”

“Yeah,” Hollie replied as she gently repositioned Snickles' right paw, “I decided that he was old enough to learn how to play.”

Seeing Hollie’s unconditional love for her bear, despite his limitations made me wonder: Is this what it's like for God as He refuses to give up on us?

If it is, I reasoned, shouldn't we be willing to do the same as we look for the best, rather than the worst, in others?

We all know someone who, like Bearsnickles, has failed to grow at the same pace as others. Someone who lacks the emotional or spiritual maturity to contribute to a relationship in a way that does not wreak havoc as they do what they want, when they want, with no concern for the affect their behavior has on others.

While it’s sometimes necessary to distance ourselves from a difficult relationship, boundaries should never be used to keep us from the people God has called us to serve.