Brittany had a very clever grandma. Not only was Grandma good at making dresses and tablecloths and window drapes but, more wonderful still, she could make teddy bears.

“Would you like to make your very own teddy bear?” asked Grandma one day.

Brittany’s eyes lit up, but then grew sad. “I don’t know how to make teddy bears,” she said.

“That’s alright,” said Grandma, “I’ll teach you.”

“Wow!” squealed Brittany.

“How big would you like your teddy to be?” asked Grandma.

“T–h–i–s big,” said Brittany, stretching her arms wide.

“My, that’s a big teddy!” laughed Grandma. “That’s almost as big as you!”

Brittany was afraid Grandma would say she was being greedy but Grandma didn’t seem to mind. She let Brittany choose not just the Teddy’s size, but the color fur, the eyes, the lips – everything.

Then Grandma drew what she called a pattern on a huge piece of paper. “This is how we’ll know what shape to cut Teddy’s fur,” she explained. When she had finished, she laid the pattern on the fur that Brittany had chosen and asked Brittany to pin the pattern to the fur. Then Grandma handed Brittany a pair of scissors.

Brittany looked at the scissors and then looked at the fur, wondering what on earth Grandma was thinking.

“Cut the fur along the line on the pattern,” said Grandma. “Cut through both the pattern and the fur at the same time. That way, Teddy will be the right shape.”

Brittany became worried. “But I’m not good at cutting,” she said, “I’ll mess it up!”

“It’s alright,” said Grandma reassuringly, “I’ll teach you.” She took Brittany’s hands in hers and started cutting. Before long, Brittany was doing it all by herself. It was fun but making Teddy was going to be a lot more work that Brittany had thought, and before they knew it, it was time for Brittany to leave. Brittany was so sad. Teddy was a long way from being finished. She wasn’t going to have a teddy after all.

“Don’t worry,” said Grandma happily. “We’ll continue next time you come!”

Brittany gave the biggest smile and just about danced to the car and couldn’t stop grinning the whole way home.

And so it was that every time Brittany visited Grandma, Brittany learned more about how to make Teddy and worked as carefully but as fast as she could. Finally the day came when Teddy was finished and she could take him home. Brittany was so excited, she could hardly stop jumping up and down. Other children had teddies they loved with all their hearts, but Brittany’s teddy was extra special. Not only was he big and cuddly and beautiful, with the cutest eyes and smile, this was not a teddy someone else had made and given to her. Teddy was hers in a very special way – she had made him with her very own hands.

The next day, Mommy took Brittany and her little brother, Billy, to do some shopping.

“Teddy’s too big to take shopping,” said Mommy.

“Oh, no,” said Brittany. “I’ll take good care of him.”

Mommy didn’t like the idea, but Brittany hung on to Teddy so tight that finally Mommy decided to let Teddy come, too. Mommy’s car was being fixed, so they caught a bus. Brittany sat in the bus and nursed Teddy on her lap. He was so big that he came up over her eyes. Brittany could hardly see, but she didn’t mind, as long as Teddy was with her.

On the way home, Brittany’s little brother had the window seat, she sat next him and I’m sure you know who sat on Brittany’s lap. The two children were tired and began to fight. The fight grew worse and worse until in a fit of anger, only a couple of blocks from home, Billy opened the window, grabbed Teddy and threw him out of the bus.

“Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” shouted Brittany in a panic. But the driver wouldn’t stop. When they finally got out at the bus stop near home, Brittany quickly left Mommy and Billy behind and ran all the way to her house, found her bike and furiously pedaled back in the direction that she had just come, passing Mommy and her brother who had not even reached the house yet. Mommy was stunned as Brittany whooshed past her. She was about to say something to Brittany but before she could get a word out, Brittany was gone.

Even if Mommy had said something, I don’t think Brittany would have heard her above her pounding heart. She could think of nothing but poor Teddy. She almost flew along the sidewalk as she pedaled as fast as her legs would move. As she got closer to where she thought Teddy had been thrown from the bus, she slowed down, carefully looking everywhere for Teddy. She wasn’t so worried at first. “He’ll turn up,” she told herself. But he didn’t turn up. Brittany looked and looked and looked. Finally, Brittany had to slowly pedal home without Teddy, trying hard not to cry but unable to stop.

When at last she was home, Brittany threw her bike on the ground. Billy was standing in the doorway. She gave him the dirtiest look, pushed him out of the way and shouted some bad words at him.

The next day, thinking it would cheer up Brittany, Mommy said, “Let’s visit Grandma.”

“No, I don’t want to go to Grandma’s,” said Brittany.

Mommy was puzzled, but said nothing. She had no idea, that Brittany was scared to go to Grandma’s. Brittany was smart. She knew that Grandma would notice Brittany didn’t have Teddy with her and would ask where he was. How awful it would be to have to tell Grandma she had lost Teddy, especially since Mommy had said it would be best not to take Teddy to the shops.

The next day, Mommy told Brittany and her brother, “Come on! We’re going to Grandma’s.”

Brittany felt sick at the thought of what Grandma would say. “I don’t want to go,” she said.

“We’re going!” insisted Mommy.

“I’m not well,” moaned Brittany but nothing would change Mommy’s mind.

“Where’s Teddy?” asked Grandma, looking at sad, sad Brittany. The question had come even quicker than Brittany had feared.

“Brittany took Teddy to the shops when she shouldn’t have,” said Billy as cruelly as he could.

Grandma looked at Brittany’s sad face. “That’s okay,” said Grandma kindly, “I can make another Teddy for you, Brittany.” But Brittany knew that no other teddy bear could take Teddy’s place. Teddy was her very own. She had made him. No one else’s teddy would do and she was too sad to make another and even then it could never be the real Teddy.



The next day, close to her house, Brittany heard a gang of teenage boys making a lot of noise and acting strangely. She knew she must keep away from them. They were mean and could hurt her. But something told her this was important. She looked around to see if Mommy was watching and as soon as Mommy was out of sight Brittany ran outside and up to the gang to see what they were doing. To her amazement, she saw Teddy sitting on a wall. But her joy quickly turned to horror. The boys were throwing stones at Teddy, using him as a target.

“Stop!” screamed Brittany, “That’s my Teddy!”

“It’s ours!” said one of the boys.

“No, it’s mine. I’d know it anywhere. I made it myself,” replied Brittany urgently.

“Ha!” said another of the boys, “you could never make a teddy bear!”

“But I did! I did!” protested Brittany. “Give me back my Teddy!”

“Get lost or we’ll stone ya instead of this bear!” said the big, red-haired one.

Brittany could see it was getting dangerous, but she must save Teddy. Maybe she could try begging, “P–L–E–A–S–E give Teddy back.”

She could see that wasn’t working, so she tried something new. “Where did you get him?”

“Found ‘im down there a couple of days ago,” said the red-haired one, pointing down the road where the bus had gone.

“It’s mine!” she exclaimed, “My little brother threw him out of the bus!”

“Hey!” one of them said to rest of the gang, laughing, “She looks real desperate! Let’s kidnap her bear. Let’s hold him prisoner until she pays a big ransom!” They all seemed to like that idea.

“A ransom?” asked Brittany.

“Yes,” replied the red-haired one, “If ya ever want to see your fat teddy alive you’ll have to pay us heaps of money.” Then he pulled out a knife, “Or we’ll cut ‘im to pieces.”

Seeing the knife, Brittany’s heart thumped so hard, she thought it could be heard a block away. “H–how much money?” she asked timidly.

“Fifty dollars!” suggested one and they all agreed.

“Fifty dollars!” Brittany was almost out of her mind with concern, “I don’t have that much money!”

“You get fifty dollars by tomorrow, or ya bear will be cut in pieces.” Then he added, “And if ya tell anyone about this, we’ll cut the bear up anyway.”

“Don’t hurt Teddy!” pleaded Brittany. “Look after him and I’ll find the money somehow.”

Some of the boys still wanted to throw stones at Teddy but the others told them that Teddy would be of more value to them if he wasn’t hurt.



Brittany rushed home, opened her piggy bank and started counting. She wasn’t very good at this and tried many times but still could not work it out. Finally she asked Mommy. Knowing how sad Brittany was, Mommy counted it, in the hope that it would get Brittany’s mind off Teddy. Mommy said it came to twenty-seven dollars and eighty-five cents.

Brittany ran to Billy. “I need all your money!” she shouted.

“All my money? No way!” he replied.

“I’ll do anything you want, just give me the money!”

“Anything?” asked Billy. “You’ll let me watch whatever I like on TV?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll let me have all your colored pens?”

Oh, dear! Brittany loved those pens. “Yes,” she said sadly.

“And, said Billy, “you must eat a snail.”

“You’re joking!” said Brittany. But one look at Billy’s face was enough to know he was enjoying this and that he meant every word. Brittany’s heart sank, but she remembered Teddy. Surely she would do anything for him. But could she eat a snail? Brittany felt sick. Her mind ran fast.

“It’s of no use to you if I eat a snail,” she said, trying to sound very intelligent. “I’ll tell you what; I’ll eat all your peas for a week.”

Billy’s face showed he liked that idea – a lot.

“You could slip them to me under the table and I’d eat them all for a week. Mommy and Daddy will never know.”

“Okay,” said Billy, “but you’ll still have to eat a snail.” That’s when the argument started. On and on it went until finally it was agreed that Brittany would let him watch whatever he wanted on TV, would give him her colored pens, and would eat all his peas for a week, but she would only have to lick the shell of a live snail. And for all of that Billy would give her everything in his piggy bank.

Finally, Brittany ended up with Billy’s money, but how much was it? Brittany was scared to ask Mommy anymore in case she started wondering why she wanted the money. She waited for Daddy to come home to add it up for her. It turned out that her money and Billy’s money together was only forty-three dollars and forty-five cents. How could she get still more money?

Then she noticed that Daddy was working in the garden. She put on her cutest voice and talked Daddy into paying her to do lots and lots of gardening. It was almost dark by the time she finished and she was so tired that she ached, but at last she had fifty dollars.

The next day she got up very early to look for the gang. She couldn’t find them anywhere. “What if they have already cut Teddy into pieces?” she worried. “I’m just too early,” she tried to tell herself, but time crawled on and still no gang appeared. Finally, she thought she saw the gang in the distance. She ran and yes, it really was them, but she couldn’t see Teddy. When she got really close, her heart sank. Teddy wasn’t there.

“I’ve got the money,” she said. “Where’s Teddy?”

“Do ya think big guys like us would be seen walking around with a teddy bear,?” said the red-haired one. “Give us the money and we’ll tell ya, where ‘e is.”

“No,” said Brittany, trying to sound brave, “I need to know he’s okay. Show him to me and then I’ll give you the money.” There were many in the gang and all were bigger than her but, surprisingly, they agreed.

To Brittany’s relief, Teddy looked fairly well considering the terrifying time he had had. Brittany handed over the money, hugged Teddy, and ran all the way home – well she would have kept running if she hadn’t got too puffed.

       

As soon as she was home she started pestering Mommy to take her to see Grandma. Mommy was busy but Brittany kept on and on until Mommy finally agreed. When their car stopped outside Grandma’s place, Brittany flew out of the car, ran up to the door and rang the bell. Of course you know who she had in her arms. After what seemed forever, Grandma opened the door and, just as Brittany had hoped, Grandma let out a little squeal of delight. Grandma wanted to know the full story about Teddy’s adventure and the kidnapping and the paying of the ransom. Brittany gabbled it out as quickly as she could.

“What an amazing story!” said Grandma. “It’s just like what God has done for me!”

Now that had Brittany really puzzled.

“You know how God made all of us,” said Grandma.

Brittany nodded.

“Well we are each very special to him. He’s proud of us because he made us. We are his very own.”

Brittany was stunned. She knew she was often naughty. “God is proud of me?” she asked, thinking she must have misunderstood.

“Yes,” said Grandma, “God is proud of everyone he made. Everyone is special to him and just like no one could take Teddy’s place in your heart even though I offered to make another, so no one can take your place in God’s heart.”

“WOW!” said Brittany slowly, thinking very hard. “I am special to God?”

“Priceless,” said Grandma. “But like Teddy we all got lost.”

It was Brittany’s turn to be puzzled again. She knew she had got lost at the shopping mall once but she didn’t think Grandma meant that. “When did I get lost?” she asked.

“Each of us should have stayed close to God and let him keep us safe but instead we left him. We thought it would be more fun to be naughty and run off, leaving God behind. And then we got kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped!” I don’t think Brittany’s blue eyes had ever opened so wide.

“Kidnapped,” repeated Grandma, “by sin and the devil.”

“I’ve never seen the devil,” said Brittany.

“No, he’s invisible, but he had you and me in his claws, stopping us from breaking free from bad things and stopping us from having God as our best friend.”

Brittany remembered that when bad men kidnap people, making them prisoners, they often ask for money to be paid – a ransom – before they will set the people free. She had had to pay a ransom of fifty dollars for Teddy’s freedom. “Has the devil asked for a ransom?” asked Brittany.

“Yes,” said Grandma, “and he didn’t ask for money. God is rich and would have paid the money in a flash to save us. No, the devil asked for something much more costly than money before he would give us back to God where we’d be safe.”

Grandma was certainly saying some strange things. What could cost God more than money? Brittany thought hard but couldn’t think of a thing. Finally she could stand it no longer. “What ransom did God pay to get us back?” she asked.

“The death of God’s only Son, who had always lived with his Father God in heaven and has never, ever done one thing wrong,” said Grandma. “And you know who that is?”

Brittany thought she knew the answer to that one. “Jesus?” she said.

“Yes,” replied Grandma, pleased.

“But surely God wouldn’t make his Son die for us?” said Brittany, thinking God must be very strange.

“You know how you wanted to have Teddy back so badly that you were willing to do almost anything for him?’ asked Grandma. “Well God loves you and every girl and boy in the world far, far, far more than you love Teddy.”

“Wow! That’s a lot!” thought Brittany.

“But God didn’t force Jesus to die,” continued Grandma. “Jesus is a very special man. Unlike us, he has been with God forever. He loves you just as much as God his father loves you. We had no choice about being born, but Jesus could do whatever he wanted. He chose to come to earth, become the only human never to do one thing wrong and then pay your ransom by dying in your place and setting you free.”

“But I thought you said Jesus never did one thing wrong?” said Brittany.

“That’s right, but Jesus let himself be treated as if he were as bad as we have been.”

Brittany screwed up her face, “How come he died when I’m the one who has been naughty?”

“Even though Jesus knew that it would cause him more pain than we can imagine and he’d end up dying, it hurt him even more to think of you – and every other boy and girl in world – remaining lost and kidnapped by the devil. After all, God is so proud of everyone he made and he thinks the world of each of us.”

“I’ve let Jesus ransom me back from the devil,” continued Grandma, “so that I can enjoy God’s friendship and safety. Have you done that, Brittany?”

“I don’t think so,” said Brittany. “How do I do it?”

“We need God to forgive us. To forgive is to treat someone who has done wrong as if he or she had always been good. It means to deliberately forget the bad that the person did and treat him or her like a friend. To ask God to forgive you and treat you as if you hadn’t ever done anything wrong, you pray a simple prayer like this,” said Grandma. “Dear God, I’m sorry for all the wrong things I’ve done. Thank you that Jesus came all the way to earth to suffer and die so that I could be forgiven and treated as if I were innocent. Please forgive me, just like I forgive those who have done wrong things to me.”

Brittany thought for a moment. “Hey, wait a minute! Are you saying I should forgive that gang who kidnapped Teddy and made me pay fifty dollars to get him back? And forgive Billy who threw Teddy out of the bus and made me lick a snail?”

“Don’t you remember the Lord’s Prayer, Brittany?” replied Grandma, “Part of it says, ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’”

Brittany’s face burned red with anger. “No way! Not in a million years,” shouted Brittany, and stormed out of the house, slamming the door on the way.



It was lonely, boring and a little cold outside, but Brittany was just too angry for anything else. It was a pity. It would have been pretty special to have had God as a friend, but there was no way she could forgive the awful things that gang and Billy had done.

Mommy called Brittany when it was time to eat Grandma’s delicious cake, but Brittany refused to come in. After a while, Grandma came out to speak to her. “Who is being hurt by you being too angry to eat cake?” asked Grandma gently. Brittany hardened her face and said nothing. “Only yourself,” said Grandma. After a few moments she added, “Even though Jesus was innocent, he suffered and died to forgive you and everyone else in the world and even though you are not innocent, you won’t even say a couple of words of forgiveness to a few people.”

“They don’t deserve to be forgiven,” spat Brittany.

“Neither do we,” said Grandma softly. “Forgiving is not excusing what someone has done. It is admitting that the person did something bad, but still deliberately forgetting what they did in order to be kind. God is kind. If you want your heart to stay full of hate, how can God, who is full of love, live in your heart? Hate is the opposite of God. Isn’t it right that since we, who have done wrong, want God to be kind to us, that we should want to be kind to other people?”

Brittany sulked. “If God really wanted to be my friend, he’d forgive me anyway.”

“Let’s allow our imaginations to run wild for a minute or so,” said Grandma. “Picture a man driving a car so fast and dangerously that he almost injures someone. It’s a wonder someone wasn’t killed. The police catch him and he finds himself standing before a judge. Now, Brittany you are the judge and what makes it more complicated is that he is your friend. You like him a lot.

“The most important thing about being a judge is that a judge must be absolutely fair and treat everyone the same regardless of whether the person is rich or poor or a friend or an enemy. A good judge cannot have favorites. Would it be right for you as the judge to say that your guilty friend is innocent?”

“No,” replied Brittany, “that would be lying.”

“Yes,” said Grandma. “Would it be fair to other people that you judge to say to that man, ‘Even though you are guilty, I’ll only ask from you a smaller fine just because you are my friend’?”

“No,” said Brittany. “that would not be fair to everyone who is not the judge’s friends. To be fair I could not be kinder to my friends than to other people.”

Grandma was pleased. “That’s right, Brittany! As a good judge, you must be absolutely fair and honest, no matter who you are judging. You must not say guilty people are innocent or give smaller penalties to people just because they are your friends.”

“To do the right thing you must fine your guilty friend the full amount. Anyone can give someone money, however. So it would be perfectly legal and right for you to give your friend money and the friend could then, if he wishes, use the money to pay the fine and so avoid going to jail. If, however, the man refused your gift and he didn’t have enough money himself, he would have to go to jail, no matter how much you liked him.

“That’s what it’s like with us,” continued Grandma, “God is our judge. He is totally good. Even though he likes us so very much, he cannot lie and say we are not guilty of doing wrong. Neither can he make our punishment small just because he likes us. But like in our story, God, though judge, could offer to pay for us. That is what Jesus did by letting himself be punished, when it was us, not him, who were guilty. By Jesus doing this for us God is able to treat us as if we are as good and perfect as Jesus. But it all depends on whether we accept Jesus’ offer to pay for our wrongdoing. If we don’t accept Jesus’ offer, then Jesus’ suffering is wasted and we have to suffer for our own sins, which means that God can never be our friend. God is perfect and he can only be friends with people who let Jesus make them good and perfect.”

Brittany didn’t say a word.

“Let’s think again about your friend guilty of dangerous driving,” said Grandma gently. “What if the man says to himself, ‘Having the judge as a friend means I can keep driving dangerously. If anyone gets killed, it doesn’t matter; the judge will always look after me.’ Wouldn’t you as judge be upset? Wouldn’t you conclude that paying your friend’s fine would only encourage him to keep breaking the law and someone could end up badly hurt because of it? Wouldn’t you be sad that your friend has not learned his lesson? Don’t you think you would feel you have no choice but let the man pay the full fine himself in the hope that he would learn not to keep breaking the law?

“In the same way, if we haven’t changed our attitude towards hate, Jesus being punished instead of us will only encourage us to keep hating. Us continuing to hate is good neither for us, nor for those we hate. So although God desperately longs to forgive us, it wouldn’t be right for him to let us go unpunished if we intend to keep hating. So, Brittany, won’t you forgive others as freely as you want God to forgive you?”

Brittany continued to sulk.

Grandma thought for a while and began another story. “Imagine you are walking alone in a jungle and you slip into some quicksand. You quickly sink into the wet sand up to your chin. Soon it will be above your head and you’ll be unable to breathe. ‘Help! Help’ you cry, but no one comes. Then at the last moment someone appears – someone you had previously been very cruel to. He looks at you and laughs to see you about to die.

“‘Please save me!’ you plead.

“‘Why should I?’ he says. ‘You’ve stolen from me. You’ve lied about me. You’ve called me bad names.’

“You reply, ‘Please forgive me. I shouldn’t have done those things.’

“Then he feels sorry for you and helps you out of the quicksand, saving your life.

“You happily walk on and before long hear someone crying for help. You follow the sound and find it is one of the gang who had kidnapped Teddy. He is sinking in quicksand, just like you had been. The young man begs for your help but even though you know what it is like to be in such danger and be helped when you don’t deserve it, you walk off and leave him to die.

“Wouldn’t that be a horrible thing to do? What would happen to you if you again sank into quicksand and the only person who could save you knew how you had treated that young man?”

“We must treat others like we want God to treat us. Yes, it is very hard to forgive people who have hurt us, but even though our sins hurt Jesus greatly we want God to forgive us, so it is right for us to ask God to help us to be forgiving to those who have hurt us. That way we can become like God.”

“I’ll never forgive! I’m as mad as mad can be!” said Brittany.

“I know you’re mad,” replied Grandma, sadly. “You’ve not just angry-mad, you’re silly-mad. You’re not just staying out here in the cold and robbing yourself of cake for no good reason, you’re robbing yourself of the most wonderful friend in the world – God. You’re making yourself sad, me sad and God sad. Is it worth it?”

“Yes!” snapped Brittany, and stayed outside until finally Mommy and Billy came out and it was time to climb into the car and go home.

A couple of days later, Brittany was playing outside. She was still too mad at Billy to play with him. Instead, she was playing with Fluffy, her very own pet. He was so soft and he wriggled his nose in a funny way and hopped everywhere he went. It was Brittany’s black rabbit, Fluffy. They were having fun together when suddenly Brittany’s ring slipped off her finger and dropped down a narrow, funny-shaped pipe.

Brittany was worried. Not wanting to lose her favorite ring, she reached deep into the pipe madly hoping that she could reach it. To her joy she felt the ring. Brittany grabbed her ring and almost pulled it out when her fist jammed in the pipe. She tried ever so hard but her hand just wouldn’t budge. “Mommy! Mommy!” she cried, but no one came. She shouted even louder but no one came. She tried yet again and finally Mommy came out. She was sure Mommy would be able to help. But even though Mommy tried so hard that it hurt Brittany’s hand, it was still stuck. Mommy was getting very worried. After trying all she could think of she told Brittany she would have to call the fire engine.

“But there’s no fire,” said Brittany.

“I know,” replied Mommy, “but firemen are very clever with problems like this.”

Brittany had to wait a long time. She felt rather silly stuck there, but she couldn’t stay there for the rest of her life. Finally the fire engine arrived. All the firemen looked at Brittany’s arm. “Are you holding anything?” asked one of the firemen.

“I’m holding my ring,” said Brittany.

“Let go of the ring,” said the fireman.

“No, I’ll lose it,” said Brittany.

“Trust me, he said tenderly, “we’ll make sure you don’t lose your ring. Just let go and bring out your arm.”

He sounded so kind that Brittany forgot all her worries and let go. To her enormous surprise, her arm came out easily! The fireman then shone his big flashlight down the pipe, then slipped something down it and used it to get the ring out.

“By holding on to the ring,” the fireman explained to Mommy, “Brittany formed a fist and a fist is fatter than a hand. Her hand could slide through the pipe but not her fist.”

“That’s like when we get angry at people,” the fireman told Brittany. “We get angry and make a fist at them and then we find ourselves trapped by hate. We become prisoners of our own anger and keep ourselves miserable when all we have to do is let go of our hate and forgive and we are free to enjoy life.”

“ . . . all we have to do is . . . forgive and we are free to enjoy life,” Brittany repeated to herself. In fact, she couldn’t get the words out of her mind. It seemed to remind her of something. Then she remembered. Grandma had told her she would make herself miserable and God sad and she would miss out on having the best friend in the world if she wasn’t willing to be as generous with her forgiveness as God wanted to be generous in forgiving her.

“I want to see Grandma!” Brittany suddenly said to Mommy. “Please, please I’ve gotta see Grandma!”

Brittany kept on and on but Mommy replied, “I don’t care how much of a fuss you make, we can’t go to Grandma’s for at least an hour.”

Brittany always hated waiting. How could she fill in the time? Then she got the craziest idea. Suddenly, she grabbed Billy, gave him a big hug and said, “I forgive you, Billy!”

Billy wormed out of her hug and looked at her as if she were mad.

“Well that filled up one second of the hour!” Brittany told herself, disappointed. Then she heard voices in the street. She looked out and her guess had been right – it was the gang that had kidnapped Teddy. Brittany ran out on to the street, “I forgive you! I forgive you!” she shouted. The way the gang looked at Brittany you’d have thought she was the world’s weirdest kid. Then they treated her as if she wasn’t even there. Brittany ran up to the big red-haired boy and said, “I forgive you for kidnapping Teddy and for being mean to me.”

“You’re crazy!” he replied, “We hate everyone and everyone hates us!”

I don’t hate you, I . . .” this was going to be hard to say. Brittany had another go, “I–I love you.”

Now he was sure she was crazy. His face turned mean and he grabbed her. “Are you trying to be funny?” he growled.

Brittany swallowed hard, “N–N–No sir! God loves me and forgives me, so I forgive you!”

He shoved her aside and walked off, leaving Brittany with her heart thumping.

Finally, it was time to go to Grandma’s. As soon as she saw Grandma, Brittany started talking at what must have been at least a thousand miles an hour. She told Grandma about getting stuck in the pipe and about how making a fist can get you trapped and how the fireman said you have to let go of hate if you are going to be free.

“Hmmm!” said Grandma. “A firemen saved you, did he? Suppose you were in a house that was burning down and you cried out for someone to save you. Finally, a fireman risks his life to break in and begins carrying you to safety. What if you then start fighting off the fireman, refusing to let him save you? You tell the fireman, ‘Save me from getting burned, but I’m not leaving this burning house.’ Wouldn’t the fireman think you are crazy? Wouldn’t he say, ‘Look, the only way I can save you from the fire is to take you out of the fire. If you stay here you’ll die!’

“That’s what it’s like when we ask God to save us from the wrong things we have done. God wants to save us, but he can only do that if we let him take us away from those wrong things. How can he save us from our naughtiness if we still want to stay in our naughtiness? That’s why God can’t forgive you for the hate in your heart if you still want to hate some people. That’s why it was so important to God that you be willing to forgive those who have hurt you.”

“You’re right, Grandma!” said Brittany. “I want God to make me good like him so that he and I can be best friends. If God forgives, I want to forgive. I’ve forgiven Billy and the gang and I’ll forgive anyone else who hurts me.”

“That’s wonderful!” said Grandma. She was obviously overjoyed. “ I believe all the angels in heaven are rejoicing over you changing your mind.”

“Really?” asked Brittany, excited.

“Oh, yes!” said Grandma. “Come! I will show you!”

Grandma took down her big Bible and opened in to Luke 15:3-7 and read it, using her own words, “So Jesus told this story: If one of you has a hundred sheep and lost one of them, would you not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until you find it? And when you find it, you would joyfully put it on your shoulders and go home. Then you would call your friends and neighbors together and say, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one lost person who returns to God than over ninety-nine good people who already belong to God.”

Grandma looked up at Brittany and said, “You don’t have to take my word for it. These are Jesus’ very words.”

Brittany drove all the way home, lost in thought. What sort of party was heaven throwing right now because she had received Jesus’ free gift of forgiveness, making her God’s special child?



When Brittany got home, she looked up and suddenly she saw Fluffy’s open cage. “Oh, no!” said Brittany. With all the excitement of being trapped, and the fire engine arriving and all the other things that had happened, she had forgotten all about Fluffy. Where was he? She looked everywhere and he was nowhere to be found. “He must be out on the street somewhere! He’ll get run over!” Brittany rushed on to the sidewalk and looked up and down and Fluffy was nowhere. In the distance she saw the gang. She was scared of them. At least one of them had a knife and they were bad boys and so much bigger than her. But Fluffy’s life was in danger. She ran up to them, “Has anyone seen Fluffy?”

“Who’s Fluffy?” asked the big red-haired boy.

“He’s my black bunny,” said Brittany, as quickly as she could. “He’s lost and if I don’t find him soon he could be run over!”

“Let’s kidnap him and make some more money!” said one of the gang. The others laughed as if it were a great idea.

“No!” said the red-haired one, “We’ve been very mean to this girl and don’t you know she has forgiven us? When has anyone forgiven you of anything?” The boys couldn’t think of anyone who had ever done that. “So let’s find Fluffy!”

“Yaaaaah!” shouted all the boys and before Brittany knew what had happened they had scattered in every direction, looking for Fluffy.

Brittany was excited. Surely all those big boys would find Fluffy. But time dragged on and still there was no Fluffy. “Please God, look after Fluffy. He’s not very smart with cars. Please make him turn up.” After about half an hour – but it seemed like forever to Brittany – one of the gang turned the corner. He had a huge grin on his face and in his arms was Fluffy.

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” said Brittany.

As she carried Fluffy back home, Brittany told herself, “Wow! I thought they were the cruelest boys in the whole world and yet Fluffy would still have been lost if it weren’t for them. Doing things God’s way really seems to work! Help me always do things your way, God!”



Related Pages

The following is just a sample of the help available. For a full list, see Christian Resources: Index of Help for Dissociative Identity Disorder


Another story for children or child alters:
Susan has a Secret

Helping you present the gospel and empower child alters:
Presenting Christ to Child Alters

Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder:
Powerful Answers For People Traumatized as Children

Pages by Alters:
An Alter Meets Jesus Insights into How to Help Alters

An Insider’s Testimony Helpful Advice to Hosts and other Alters

God’s Love for Alters A Word from Jesus to an Alter, For all Alters

The Positive Benefits of Multiple Personalities:
Does Multiple Personality Disorder Create a Superior Brain?

Free webpages devoted to the full recovery of survivors (male and female) of all forms of sexual interference:


Comfort, Understanding and Healing for Abuse Survivors

Personalized support

Grantley Morris: healing@net-burst.com





Not to be sold. © Copyright 2007, Grantley Morris. May be freely copied in whole or in part provided: it is not altered; this entire paragraph is included; readers are not charged and it is not used in a webpage. Many more compassionate, inspiring, sometimes hilarious writings available free online at www.net-burst.com  Freely you have received, freely give. For use outside these limits, consult the author.

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