God loves you - no matter what

I got my first watch when I was 12. It was gold-colored and very pretty - the nicest piece of jewelry I'd ever owned. My mom and dad said I could wear it only around the house, when we went to church, and when we got dressed up for special times like parties. The watch made me feel so grown-up.

One day, I couldn't find my watch. I looked all over my room and downstairs in the basement and even outside in the grass. It was nowhere. Every time I went into my room, I felt very sad because I didn't know how I was going to find my watch.

My grandmother was living with us then. I loved going into her room. I was always happy when I was with her. She had a beautiful white cart of African violets - deep purple and pink, and sometimes light blue. I spent as much time with her as I could. She would brush my hair, and I would brush hers if it was the day she went to the hairdresser. Sometimes we watched TV together, and sometimes we sang together. She had a big rocking chair and would let me sit on her lap, even when I was getting too big.

While my grandmother was holding me one day, she looked down at my wrist and asked me where my watch was. I started crying, because it had been missing for two weeks. When I told her that, she got very quiet, like she always did when she was praying.

"Oh, Lo'e," she said. "This is one of those times when God is going to help us learn something special about Him." I guess I knew God helps us when we need it, but I thought I had made a terrible mistake, and felt like I didn't deserve God's help.

When I told her that, my grandmother shared with me a very good Bible verse. Here's how it goes: "... his eye seeth every precious thing" (Job 28:10). We sat together, quietly thinking about how God knows everything and makes sure we have everything we need.

When I left my grandmother's room, I felt so loved and cared for. I'd been thinking about the missing watch so much that I'd forgotten how much God loved me. I sat down on the bed, and I thanked God for being with me. Without thinking, I reached over and opened the bottom drawer of my dresser. There was my watch, sitting on top of a sweater! It must have fallen off the top shelf when the drawer was open.

I ran to tell my grandmother the good news.

Now I'm older, and I'm thinking about that Bible verse. I realize that the "precious thing" that God sees isn't really the thing that's lost. God sees us! We are the precious thing.

No matter how many mistakes we make or how many bad things happen, God never stops loving us and helping us. No mistake is bigger than God. No mistake is bigger than the good God has put in us. That's why we can always find an answer for our problems with God's help.