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Preparing For My New Job
According to my daughter's doctor's best calculations, I'll be a grandfather
before the end of this year (the sonogram even reports the gender: BOY!). I
don't feel very "grandfatherly" right now, but I'm working on it. And while I
hope and pray the baby is healthy, smart, handsome and happy, my chief concern
has to do with his spiritual welfare. And I've been thinking about what I can do
to make the best contribution to his spiritual and moral guidance. Of course I'm
tempted to lecture my grandson's parents about these vital matters, and I'm sure
I'll do some of that (already have!). But I've got to focus on my role and
influence as a grandfather.
One thing I've decided with settled conviction: I will not wait until this
little fellow is a teen or pre-teen. I have not researched all the data about
how early infants have perception and intellectual capacity. I have no definite
conclusion about that; just the idea that they can pick up on things much
earlier than we have thought. And I know this, to sing spiritual songs to an
infant a few months old does no harm at all. To talk to the small ones about the
simple facts and concepts of God is not a waste of time. And to speak to a
little boy about Jesus, trust and obedience is of greater value than learning to
ride a bike. I want to do all of that. I mean, the singing, talking, praying and
the bike too. (I promise not to get him on a bike for a few years.)
All of this came to mind recently when I ran across a little piece on the
Internet at the Christianity Today Web Site.
"Recently, third- and fourth-graders at Wheaton (IL) Christian Grammar School
were asked to complete the following sentence: "By faith, I know that God is
..."
"forgiving, because he forgave in the Bible, and he forgave me when I went in
the road on my bike without one of my parents" (Amanda).
"providingful, because he dropped manna for Moses and the people, and he gave my
dad a job" (Brandon).
"caring, because he made the blind man see, and he made me catch a very fast
line drive that could have hurt me. He probably sent an angel down" (Paul).
"merciful, because my brother has been nice to me for a year" (Jeremy).
"faithful, because the school bill came, and my mom didn't know how we were
going to pay it. Two minutes later, my dad called, and he just got a bonus
check. My mom was in tears" (anonymous).
"sweet, because he gave me a dog. God tells me not to do things that are bad. I
need someone like that" (Hannah). -Cornerstone newsletter.
Pray for me and my grandson, his parents and grandparents!
By Warren E. Berkley
The Front Page
From Expository Files 4.9; September 1997
