This weekend, my granddaughter Emersyn came to spend the night with us. This is a fairly normal occurrence, and it is one that we all look forward to. She gets pampered in every way, and we delight in lavishing attention on her. Joe will always get her favorite foods to eat, and I am the “game” person who plays with her. I found myself thinking this morning, “how long before she considers us outdated and old-fashioned?”
Emersyn in seven going on fifteen, and if you have a grandchild, you probably know what I mean. One minute she is a little girl playing with her dolls and watching cartoons, and the next minute she is challenging me to a game of chess and putting on makeup.
From experience with myself and my children, I know that she will start coming to our house less and less often at some point. She will start to think of us as “old” and out of date. In my mind, I can already see her rolling her eyes when I say something. I know it is part of the growing up phase, but it will still be painful.
The funny thing is, it will be painful for both of us. One night when we were saying three things that we were thankful for, she replied, “NeeNee, NeeNee, and NeeNee.” My heart was bursting with love, and my eyes were brimming with tears.
I told her how sweet that was, and then I made the mistake of talking to her about the future. I told her that we had a special bond, but I knew that she would want to spend time with her friends instead of me once she got older. In my explanation, I told her that it would be alright because I knew that she still loved me.
When I looked over, she was in full out tears. She was devastated at the thought, and I was devastated that I had made her cry. We talked for a long time, and I was able to comfort her that maybe she would be different, and maybe she would always want to spend time with me.
As I was writing in my Bible journal this morning, the Bible verses from Matthew kept running through my mind.
Matthew 18:2-4
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
I started thinking about how I spend time with the Lord, my Heavenly Father. Did I still look forward to spending time in His company, or did I put Him on the back burner? Was His teachings “old” and outdated? Did He understand that as a struggling believer that I would sometimes put others or things before Him? Would He know that I still loved Him even though I wasn’t making Him a priority?
Like Emersyn, I was devastated at the thought, and it made me cry. I know that the Lord’s arms are always open, but how many times have I disappointed Him by choosing something trivial over spending time with Him? I have my Bible study journals on top of my computer every morning to not forget to spend time with the Lord. But, how many times do I do the journals out of “ritual” instead of “desire?”
Lord, I pray that You will make me as a little child. I pray that my desire to be with You will never wane and that I will come to you with desire. Lord, please make me different!
To God Goes The Glory!
Have A Blessed Day!
What a perfect comparison with your conversation with your granddaughter and our time spent in prayer and talking with our Lord. A poignant perspective!! Thank you!!!
So well put. Thank you for being so open.
Oh Tania you were in my mind. How often I have thought the very same thing. I desire to put the Lord first but then often get on to other things of the day. Sometimes even when I do put the Lord first, I find my mind wondering in my devotion. I think about the Lord throughout the day and praise and thank him for my blessings. It can be just one sentence. I know he knows my heart. You have made me cry. I always pray to be the best I can be and ask for God’s help in this. We can go on with our fellow Christians praying each day no matter the simplicity or complexity of our devotion. God hears us all.
Fran, you were just in my mind. I can’t tell you how many times that my mind has wandered during prayer and devotions. UGH!!!
I love that your Sunday blogs are what I am thinking and need to hear.
That makes me so happy, Kim!
Amen <3
I am glad that you enjoyed the post!
Thank you so much….what a truly wonderful analogy. Yes, may we all be like little children soaking up our Lord’s word. Bless you!
Exactly, Deb! We need to learn to “soak” up His word!
Wow! I have had the same talks with my Grandkids. Relating it to the Lord was eye opening. Holy Spirit, thank you for giving Tania the inspiration of today’s message
Holly, I dread the day that my grandkids no longer squeal when I walk in the door. It is going to happen, but I don’t look forward to it at all.
I have felt the same way many times, while tucking my grandson into bed at night. How many times will he want to come stay at Nana’s house. He is six and growing up fast. Cherish these times as they grow so fast. God keep you and yours ever faithful to Him and bless you for your continued sharing of his word on this blog.
Gina, I sure do dread those coming days, but I hope that the memories that we have made will stay with them.
Love the Faith sharing! Our God is an AWSKME GOD!!
I am glad that you enjoy my Sunday posts!
Thank you for this beautiful post. It’s a wonderful reminder to stay in The Word and to keep our focus on Jesus. The more time we spend with Jesus the more peace and joy we have. During these crazy times we definitely need His peace and joy!
You are so right, Gwen! We need Him even more than ever!
Thank you for another great Sunday post, Tania! You seem to have a gift for writing exactly what I need to hear. Have a blessed week!
Diane, this makes me so happy to hear!
Beautiful post! So much truth about what it is to be a parent, a child, and a child of God. Thank you!
I am glad that you liked the post, Karen.
This made me cry as I understand exactly what you mean. Yesterday we had our 18 month old granddaughter and we took her to visit her great grandmother. Her GG was talking about how she missed her grandchildren and wondered why they don’t come around. I told her that they were so busy living their lives that were at the same fast paced that ours used to be. With that said, we have also gotten so busy living that we don’t spend time with the ONE that gave us all. Great post.
Karen, it is true. We get so caught up in all that the Lord has given us, that we forget to go back and honor Him.
What a thought provoking post. Thank you for sharing
I am glad that you liked it, Fiona.
I always look forward to your Sunday message. It always rings true. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Cathy!
Just what I needed to hear! Blessings…
I am thrilled that this was meant for you.
One of the things about being a believer is hearing God’s voice through others. I just heard him loud and clear. Have a truly blessed day.
Carol, I have been trying to listen for His voice, and His use of others is a big way that He speaks. I am so humbled that He used me to talk to you.
That’s exactly how I feel. We have a 14 year old grandson and I can tell he is getting to that stage in life. I know he loves us but Cooper is just growing up.
My heart hurts at the thought, but thankfully, they do come back around later in life.
Thank you again for sharing your devotion about struggles that I think so many of us face. You have a great blog that I look forward to reading every day.
I hope that my struggles can help others. None of us are perfect, and thankfully the Lord is loving and forgiving.
Beautifully said. God bless you today❤️
Thank you so much!
Perfect reminder!
Thanks, Lori.
Love this. Taking time to be with Jesus sometimes for me does get pushed to the back burner. Thank you Tania for reminding us of what’s truly important.
Sally, I think that we are all guilty of this. Recognizing our error is the first step to fixing it.
This touched my heart – thank you!
I am glad that you enjoy the Sunday posts.
Tania, you always preach what is needed to be heard! He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Thank you
Leann, I had to laugh when I read your comment. I don’t preach, but I do share what is on my heart. I am glad that you enjoy these posts.
Beautifully written inspirational post. It brought tear to my eyes. You are a very good story teller, I love the way you weave your personal life into the word of the Lord.
Donna, I don’t know any other way to write. I am not a theologian, so I can’t speak in that Biblical voice. I am glad that my voice is helpful to you and I hope others.
Amen! Thank you for sharing your faith!
I am glad that you enjoy my Sunday posts.
Hello, I’m sure God made you write this post for me. My daughter is 11 and my baby has gone replaced by a moody, shouting tweenage. It is painful but I want her to know I am still her always. Your posts are inspirational and I am grateful for you sharing your advice x
Rebecca, when my daughter was in high school, she played basketball and volleyball. She would leave for her games, and call me on the phone and tell me NOT to come. I would just laugh because I was the scorekeeper for both sports, so I HAD to come. Now, many years later, we are great friends and talk a lot even though she lives in Alaska. There is hope, they do grow up and become friends as well as children.