One day a boy has an idea of making his own toy boat.

It took him months to do it. he made his own pattern, according to what wood  and plastic he could find.
He glued and screwed it all togehter, filing some bits to fit well. He made his own masts and sails from his hankerchiefs,.

It sailed ! He was thrilled and loved it. He played with it whenever he could and kept it in his bedroom.

One day he was sailing it in a small stream, a gust of wind blew and his boat was taken away from his reach.
It sailed faster and faster. He ran along the bank to try to catch it.
The stream joined a larger faster stream. His boat sailed far away from him. It was lost.
He trudged home forlornly. For many days he searched for it, but could never see it.

A month later an amazing thing happened,.he saw it for sale in a second hand shop. Some one had found it and sold it to the shop.
He went in all excited and asked the price. It was very expensive, the shop owner knew he had an original item. Well loved when it was made,.a genuine classic original.

The boy asked the shop owner to hold it while he got the money.
For weeks the boy did all the jobs he could to get the money. All the jobs around his whole nieghbourhood.
Finally he had it. He went in and bought his own boat back.

Later on his Dad saw him playing with his boat even more than he ever used to. His dad talked to him about it.

The boy said, " First I made this boat myself, then I lost it. It went away from me. I thought I might never get it back.
Then I saw it again and I bought it again. I've paid for it twice.  I now love it twice as much as I first did. "



That's what it is like for God with us.
First he made us, then we moved away from Him.
He was saddened. He was so saddened, He did what He had to for us to be with Him again.
He paid the full price for us.
Now because He made us, then paid for us, he loves us even more.