A Special Sunday

There are a few very special days in the life of a grandfather and, Lord willing, this Sunday will be one of those for this grandfather. Two very special things are scheduled to happen in our second service that day. The first one is the opportunity for me to present an Awana Sparky Award Plaque to my second grade granddaughter. This award is the result of three years of hard work in our Awana program. It involves memorization of many verses, memorizing the books of the Bible, studying various Bible stories, completing missionary projects and numerous other handbook requirements. It takes much hard work but it provides these clubbers with a sound foundation in the Bible. Six of my seven grandchildren have now earned this award and the seventh, who is just in kindergarten, is already making great progress to reach this goal two years from now. Ten members of our family have earned this award and I will have had the honor of making all the presentations to them. But then there is a second special event that will occur at that service. My three youngest grandchildren will follow the Lord in believer's baptism at the conclusion of the service. All three have professed faith in the Lord and are now ready to make a public confession of their faith. And that is very special. Then all seven of our grandchildren will have taken this public step. I can't think of anything that should thrill a grandparent more than seeing the spiritual growth of their grandchildren. While a grandparent can have a major impact on the life of their grandchildren, I think it is sometimes as difficult as being a parent because there is a limit to what you can do to influence them. But one can pray. And we have done that daily. And we have even prayed for years for godly spouses for each of them, in God's time. In a time when many teens are leaving the faith and the world battles to control children, it is vital to bathe them in prayer. We live in a world of many temptations and cultural distractions. But God still answers prayer. And while as a grandparent I admit that I am feeling proud, yet I know that this is not my doing but it is God working in their precious lives. And for that I am thankful.