Haley to Dad:
“Dad, did you feel the same excitement after each of your children was
born?” (Haley is the fourth of four children in our family.)
Dad to
Haley: “Absolutely!”
Haley asked
this question on the day that our oldest daughter, Britney, gave birth
to a baby boy – the first child born to Britney and Clint – and our
first grandchild: Lincoln Ross Mitchell!
As a
postscript to our discussion, I added: “But when your children
have children of their own…” I couldn’t complete my answer because the
tears began to flow. I struggled to find words to describe the
magnitude of my love and gratitude for our new grandson.
Now I think I
understand why so many grandparents had been telling me that “there’s
nothing like having grandchildren!”
Here is what
I’ve realized: when that little one that you and your spouse joyfully
welcomed into the world as her parents, that you loved and raised to
adulthood, the one for whom you have always wanted the very best, and
that you couldn’t love any more than you do… then has a child of her own
– a child that you also get to love, cherish, and SPOIL… (I’m
smiling.) When you get to see your child experience the wonder of
bringing a baby into the world and see her life changed by having the
privilege of caring for her child and begin the process of raising him
to be a good, godly man like his Daddy… Then the love that you have for
your own child (and ALL of your children) and this grandchild just
overflows!
Is this what
you were trying to tell me, grandparents?
I don’t think
my heart could be any fuller!
I wonder if
this may give us a hint as to how God feels when someone makes the
decision to accept His offer of salvation and become a child of God by
being born again into His family. After all, we belong to God because
He created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). But then, even though
we’ve marred that image due to our sins, He still loves us, desires to
save us, and wants to add us to His family (see Romans 5:8-10; 1 Timothy
2:4; Ephesians 2:8-22).
And when we
accept His offer of salvation on His terms, He joyfully welcomes us into
His family!
God paid a
tremendous price for us to be able to be saved and become a part of His
family. He gave His one and only Son (Jesus) to die on the cross for
our sins (John 3:16). It was because of His great love for us that He
gave His Son for us (Romans 5:8).
