God Gave Us You
GOD GAVE US YOU
PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS
12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921
ISBN: 978-0-307-73083-1 (eBook)
Copyright © 2000 by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Illustrations © 2000 by Laura J. Bryant
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.
WaterBrook and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bergren, Lisa Tawn.
God gave us you / by Lisa Tawn Bergren; illustrated by Laura J. Bryant.—1st ed.
p.cm.
Summary: Mama polar bear tells Little Cub that her birth was a gift from God.
[1. Polar bears—Fiction. 2. Bears—fiction. 3. Birth—Fiction. 4. Christian life—Fiction.
I. Bryant, Laura J., ill. II title.
PZ7.B452233 Go 2000
[E]—dc21 00-043245
v3.1
To Liv and Emma—
Words cannot express how glad
we are that God gave us you.
—L.T.B
To Ron and Shirley—
Who have an endless supply of love and generosity.
—L.J.B.
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
First Page
“Good night, sweet child,” Mama said as she tucked Little Cub in.
But Little Cub wasn’t quite ready to go to sleep. “Mama, where did I come from?” she asked.
“From God,” her mother answered. “Your papa and I were alone, and we wanted a baby.”
“And you got me?” Little Cub asked, her voice muffled from under the covers.
“Yes, my special child. God gave us you.”
“When we found out you were growing inside me, we were so happy!
Even the angels were celebrating for us!”
“Because of me?” asked Little Cub.
“Yes, my darling child. Because God gave us you.”
“And then what happened?” Little Cub asked.
“You started getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Mama said, kissing her. “And my tummy got bigger …”
“… and bigger …”
“… and BIGGER!”
“That was me inside of you?” Little Cub asked in wonder.
“Yes, my special child. It was you. God gave us you.”
“Your papa talked to you and sang to you. He wanted you to be born knowing his voice.”
“Why?” Little Cub asked.
“Because he was excited. He was going to be a papa. Because God gave us you.”
“We went to the doctor and heard your heart-beat,” she said. “I cried happy tears then.”
“Why?” Little Cub asked. (“Why?” was Little Cub’s favorite question.)
“Because God had given us you,” Mama said.
“Every night, I prayed for you, my special child. I prayed that your bones would be straight and your heart would be strong.
But most of all, I prayed that someday you would love God.”
“I love God,” Little Cub said proudly.
“I know,” said Mama. “I do too.”
“And then I came?” Little Cub asked.
“Not yet,” Mama answered. “We had to wait and wait and wait,” she said. “It seemed like forever. We got your nursery ready, and I made up your crib. I even turned down the sheet, so I could slip you right under the covers. But still, no baby.”
“Did you wonder if God would ever give me to you?” Little Cub asked. “On the outside, I mean?”
Mama laughed. “I wondered. But I knew you would come soon.”
“And then what happened?”
“I felt something different. You wanted out!”
“I did?” Little Cub asked. “How did you know?”
“God gives mama bears special signals. We raced to the hospital!”
“So then I was borned?” Little Cub asked.
“Yes!” Mama giggled. “And my, how you screamed and yelled. As much as we loved meeting you for the first time, you missed being in my warm and cozy tummy.”
Mama lowered her voice. “And then we took you home. And it was just us. Our family. We just stared and stared, wondering at the miracle of incredible you.”
“Because why?”
“Because God had given us you.”
“Umm, Mama? I was wondering … Did you ever want a different baby? One like Samuel the seal or Fredrika the fox?”
“Never,” Mama said. “Never, ever, ever. Your papa and I wouldn’t trade you for the world.”
“Why?” Little Cub asked.
“Why? Because God gave us you.”
Little Cub closed her eyes, said her prayers, and heard Mama whisper, “Good night.” She felt happy and safe because God had given her—little her—to Mama and Papa, and they wouldn’t trade her for the world.
“Because God gave us you,” Mama had said. “Because God gave us you.”
Lisa Tawn Bergren, God Gave Us You
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