Ones On the Way

I have often reported that grand kids are God’s reward to parents for not killing their own kids. As grand parents of seven lively and wonderful grandchildren, Cynthia and I have discovered that everything we ever heard about grand kids is true. They are wonderful!

We just got word that David and Stacy are joining the “three-boys-club.” Stacy is pregnant and they have learned that it will be another son. We had three boys. Rick and Jody both had twins; they have one boy and four girls between them. David has traveled the all-boy route. Rick’s twins just turned thirteen; he called last week and offered to send them to live with us until they are eighteen! Payback is sweet!!

Marvin and Louise Taylor are great-grand parents. Marvin says, however, that nothing surpasses grand children. I believe he is right.

Anyway, for ages I have been collecting “grand parent thoughts.” To celebrate number eight being "on the way," I thought I’d share one of them with you. We thank God for our grandchildren. And we pray for them—daily, fervently. I pray that they know:

--enough of sin to drive them to the Savior, to make them understanding toward others and to keep them humble.

--enough of failure to turn them to the overcoming grace of God and make them wise and strong and smart.

--enough of heartache to appreciate the comfort of the Holy Spirit and to fill them with kindness.

--enough of betrayal to appreciate God’s faithfulness and make them loyal.

--enough of struggle and hardships to find strength in Christ alone and make them faithful.

--enough of the bruises in life to toughen them and make them gentle.

--enough of disappointments to open their eyes about people and give them discernment and judgment.

--enough of ugliness to appreciate the beauty always found in the heart of God and in His creation.

Enough--but no more than that, please.

If it were up to me, I would keep them from sin and pain and heartaches. And yet, I know all too well how these dark elements in life build character within us when they are mixed with God’s abounding grace available in Jesus Christ. The ever abundant, all-sufficient grace of God teaches us—and thus from our sin, we learn the blessings of mercy and grace; in our pain, we learn strength and endurance; through heartaches, we comprehend love and faithfulness.

Above all and through all this, I pray that they may grow up to know intimately, love intensely, and serve intelligently the God of all Grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Proverbs 17:6 says, "Children’s children are the crown of old men." Cynthia and I are the happy possessors of eight such crowns--from the oldest to the youngest: Danielle, Ricky, Emily, Kayla, Hanna, Nathan, Bryant and “one’s on the way.” No gift in life has filled us with greater joy and purer pleasure than the children of our children. If you knew them, you would accuse the Almighty of favoritism toward us.

Maranatha!