SCRIPTURE: Psalm 128:6 (TM) – larger reading Psalm 128
And enjoy your
grandchildren. Peace to Israel!
STORY:
An
8-year-old wrote, "A grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own,
so she likes other people's boys and girls. Grandmas don't have anything to do
except be there. If they take us for walks, they slow down past pretty leaves
and caterpillars. They never say 'Hurry up.' Usually they are fat but not too
fat to tie shoes. They wear glasses, and sometimes they can take their teeth
out. They can answer questions like why dogs hate cats and why God isn't
married. They don't talk like visitors do which is hard to understand. When
they read to us, they don't skip words or mind if it is the same story again.
Everybody should try to have a grandma, especially if you don't have
television, because grandmas are the only grownups who always have time.
OBSERVATION:
Being a grandparent is a
special blessing. I praise God every day for the three beautiful and bright and
energetic and loving and caring and happy grandchildren that grace my life. But
that is not the kind of grandchildren the Psalmist refers to.
The “grandchildren” the
Psalmists speaks of are the offspring of those who we have had the high and
holy privilege to bring closer to God. Those men and women who have decided to
embrace God’s reality for their life. These are individuals who have entered
into a meaningful and grace filled life with God. We are talking about those
individuals who we have nursed in the faith and celebrated their union with the
Almighty God.
It is always humbling to hear
from those “boys and girls” now men and women who have been influenced by
something that we might have said or might done over the years. I use the word
“might” because we often receive credit for something that we had very little
to do with. Often we are not made aware of who they are or the impact that we
have had on their life.
Seating across the table from
a fellow clergy at breakfast one Monday morning he shared a conversation he had
with a young woman. It was after a recent funeral he held for a member of his
congregation. A young relative of the family asked him if he knew of a
particular minister in Florida. He said he did indeed and then she went on and
on and on as to how this particular clergyperson had impacted and influenced her
life. His tagline was: “She thought this pastor had hung the moon.” We then
discussed the unseen influence we have had over the lives of others. But
shouldn’t we all have that kind of influence? The Psalmist wasn’t talking about
just clergy, but rather of each believer. There should be a large wake of
“children”, “grandchildren”, and “great-grandchildren” left in our spiritual
wake. At least that is the hope of God in calling us into a relationship with
himself.
Little do we really
appreciate what influence we have on lives as we live out our faith. These
young people or young adults are our spiritual grandchildren. Though we might
not know their names, my colleague could not recall the young woman’s name, but
the impact we have had on their lives is immeasurable.
I thank God every day for the
miracle he is performed in my life as I marvel at what He has accomplished with
what He had to work with!
Take time to be holy,
Speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always,
And feed on His word.
Make friends of God's
children;
Help those who are weak;
Forgetting in nothing
His blessing to seek.
PRAYER:
May we each be worthy of the
praise placed upon us. Humbled by the honor. Motivated to produce all the more
offspring. May we be highly producing holy people.
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