A “Grand” Time

There’s nothing quite like getting an email from your coworker that gently asks, “What are you writing about this week?”

After a brief moment of panic, I pulled out the computer. I thought I had already written this blog post!

My response: “I have no idea!”

So, this will be a short “Spring Break” kind of post because I’ve been busy with my grandkids. (And they are awesome, by the way.)

Our almost perfect celebration

I spent the weekend with one set of “grands.” We made a “happy birthday” banner for their parents and bought a pretty cake at the store that my two-year-old grandson picked out. I set it out on the counter and lit the candles.

It would have been a perfect celebration except for one thing: I was unaware that I had purchased an ice cream cake.

I sliced into it and said, “Something is wrong with this cake!”

Oh well. Good intentions?

It did taste good, even though it was a gooey, melted mess.

I am also spending a lot of time with my other set of grandkids. One is two months old and the other is three months old. One is interested in anything that has tires and the other is happy just to be held. These babies are pure joy, and I am a blessed grandma.

Why do we worry about them?

I look at these kids and wonder about the culture they will grow up to know. I often hear older people shake their heads with concern. But, I remember when my kids were babies and the older people did the same thing.

Why do we tend to worry about the next generation?

Is it that things are so different than the world we grew up knowing? Is it that things seem worse? Or, is it just the way one generation thinks about the future?

There is a lot of violence and darkness now on the television and in movies. There is a lot of bad information on computers. There is a lot of distraction with electronic devices. There is a lot of crime in the streets.

Did I catch most of your worries?

Now, remember with me.

Back in my day . . .

I was taught to crouch under my desk and put my hands over my neck in case of an air raid.

I could get in my car and drive off. I could be completely out of touch with anyone who might wonder where I went. (No cell phones in that day.)

I had to go to a library and look through volumes of books to find what my grandkids today can just google.

I had almost no knowledge of the larger world and had to trust the opinions or thoughts of others.

My grandparents endured World War II. My parents endured the Vietnam War. I saw 9/11, as it happened, on my television.

What will my grandkids see on theirs?

“Do not be anxious . . . .”

It is hard not to worry. It always has been. But, are things worse—or are they just different?

I often tell people who are worried about the future, “No one has ever knocked God off his throne, and no one ever will.”

There is a reason that Scripture says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Paul gives specific instructions to those of us who worry. He taught us to pray instead.

My favorite verse to remember when I worry is Isaiah 41:10. This one verse is the best lesson I ever learned on the subject. God said, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

The reason this is the best lesson on worry is because of the first two words. “Fear not” is written in the form of a command. God didn’t encourage us not to worry. He didn’t suggest we not worry. He commanded us not to worry and then he told us why.

We don’t have to worry about anything in our lives. God will always be bigger than anything that comes against us. He is “our” God and our Father. He doesn’t promise to remove the difficulty, but he does promise to make us strong enough to endure it. God will always help. God will always hold us. We are his children.

To fear or worry is to look at God and say, “I don’t think you are enough.”

God is always enough.

But, if you have fears or worries today, there is grace.

He is still enough

When our son, Ryan, got cancer, I used to say, “God is barely enough—but he is still enough.”

This world hands us some tough roads, and it will hand our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren tough roads too. They will have different roads to walk than we did, but God will always be on his throne—and God will always be enough.

So, what are you worried about today?

I was worried about this blog post! And now it is done.

I’m smiling now because “God is always enough.”

My grandson just woke up. I hear him talking to his teddy bear in the crib.

I’ll hit “send” to our editor and then go get him up.

Is God great or what!