I am watching all of this delight going on and a woman about my age with special needs came to me and said, “I need the Big Book of God.” I responded, “You need the Big Book of God.” She said, “Yes, let’s go get the Big Book of God.”

I was thinking, “I don’t know what she is talking about.” So I said, “Well, I don’t think we should go find it together. You stay here and I’ll go see if I can find The Big Book of God for you.” She went back and waited and I asked the Holy Spirit, “Will you please help me know what it is that she wants, because I really don’t know.”

I moved over into one of our storage areas. In almost every storage closet, we have extra Bibles. I grabbed one of them, a red Bible, thinking, “I hope this is The Big Book of God she is looking for.”

I returned with this extra bible in hand and said to her, “Is this the Big Book of God you are looking for?” She said, “Oh, yes! That’s the Big Book of God I have been looking for.” And she clutched it to her chest. She went out on the ball room dance floor and just began moving back and forth while she embraced The Big Book of God.

Tears of joy and delight flowed as I thought, “What a great picture of the love of God for each one of His children. She sees with a purer heart than I see. Maybe, the simplicity of her mind gives a clearer picture than mine does. She just wants to be with and have her arms around The Big Book of God and know the heart of God and know His love.”

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that picture and the love of God and the demonstrated love of His Word. Her caregiver came up to me later and said, “She is an avid reader and she will read The Big Book of God.”

Merry Christmas.

Ed McDowell
Executive Director
Warm Beach Camp