With the recent
passing of my wife’s Dad, I have had some time to consider the role that
Grandfather’s play in the lives of their kid’s children. I’ve come to the realization that although
Piper’s family has demonstrated some personal difficulties in coming to terms
with the attack on her health as of late, that they were always wonderful to
our kids.
That thought got me
to look at things just a little bit differently. Lately I have begun to look at the situation
through the eyes of a child and their relationship to their Grandpa… and in
particular, my relationship with my maternal Grandfather.
I never had the honor
of knowing my paternal Grandfather as he passed away before I was born succumbing
to the negative effects of a lifelong habit of Italian Toscano Cigars. My Mom’s Dad though, was a powerful influence
in my life. As I considered this, I
realized that his passing was the most difficult death that I have had to face
so far in my life.
My Mother once
commented that I was most like my Grandfather.
He could do no wrong in my life.
He’s one of main reasons I have a love for gardening and yard care. He’s the one that taught me by example to
make sure that my wife’s needs were always met before attending to the needs of
others when out in public, at family gatherings and at home. His visible affection to my Grandmother was a
sterling example that I have always sought to imitate. I have a clear picture in my mind’s eye of
them holding hands as they walked together coming up my parent’s long driveway.
He is also the reason I wear my watch
upside down. I do it because he did, I
later came to find out that he wore it that way as he was a dress maker and
co-owner of a garment factory in New York and wore it as such so he could check
the time while cutting out patterns!
As I look at our children
today, I can’t help but be proud of the way that they responded to their
Grandpa “Sir’s” declining health. The multiple
phone calls from the out of state kids, regular visits and assistance from our
son and his family in California and the unscheduled flights from Oklahoma to
California by our youngest son. I can
only hope that even though we do not live near our Grandkids that I can have
the same lasting effects that my Grandpa had on me and Piper’s Father had on
our children.
Today’s Friday, the
third week of Advent reading talks about how our lives can and should have a
positive effect on the children in our own families as well as the children and
youth that we might influence in our neighborhoods, our churches, the stores we
shop in and those we walk past in our regular daily activities. Think about what influence you play or could
play in the lives of the young people who you interact with as you meditate on
today’s blog post.
Christmas Kids…
Friday, the third
week of Advent
Today’s
Readings: Proverbs 22:6 / Luke 2:39-40
As
we near the conclusion of the story of the first Christmas, our portion of
scripture in Luke infuses with Matthew’s details concerning Joseph, Mary and
Jesus’ escape to Egypt and their eventual return to Israel. The author makes a point to declare that “they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.” (Luke 2:39 KJV) It must have been very important to God that
Jesus be raised in the familiarity of His earthly parent’s home town. To have the comfort and security of living
amongst family and friends who knew and cared for them.
From
the scarce amount of information that the canonical scriptures give us, we can come
to the conclusion that Jesus lived an ordinary childhood and experienced the
same pleasures, trials and challenges that all children do as they grow up. But verse 40 establishes some very important
details about His childhood and the way He was raised.
I
believe that this small section of our story is to be read as a tribute to
Joseph and Mary! The NKJV says that “the
Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of
God was upon Him.” The God’s Word ©
translation ends the verse by stating that “He
gained favor from God and people.”
These statements make it clear that Jesus’ earthly parents taught Him by
precept and (probably more importantly)
by example the things of God. They did
whatever it took to establish Mary’s first born son in the understanding, trust
and love of His Father God. And this was
not accomplished at the expense of a natural education. While Jesus was a well-rounded individual in
His secular and spiritual education, what preeminently came forth in His adult
life and ministry was the firm foundation of the Word that was put into Him,
primarily by the effort of His parents.
I
think that this is one of the greatest lessons that parents, grandparents and
all relatives alike should learn to follow in this life! We have a responsibility to the children and
youth around us to be the best example of God’s love and holy living that we can
be. I must confess that this was one of
the primary reasons that I gave up having an occasional glass of wine or a beer
many years ago. As I prayed and agonized
over this, I came one day to the realization of the poor example that I was
setting for my own children as well as for the ones that I ministered to in our
church and as a soccer coach!
Many
times the church will tend to attach Jesus’ unquestioning trust in God to His
being the Son of God. But Jesus lived a
normal life as the Son of Man until the Holy Spirit came upon Him following His
baptism by John the Baptist. At that
point I don’t believe that He was suddenly endued with all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, but came to a much greater understanding of all the teaching
that His earthy parents had bestowed upon Him as He grew up under their love
and care. And you know what? It is
never too late to start, especially if this wasn’t the pattern you demonstrated
when your kids were at home! I have
developed a stronger relationship now with my adult children than when they
were younger. Now it is increasingly
more exciting and rewarding to share the Word and our experiences with our
faith to each other as never before!
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