grandpa's reflections

A few minutes before I was ready to go work on the new house (being constructed for Grant and Hannah) this morning Hannah asked if I could hold Ivory for a bit.  I didn’t have to ponder that question very long.  So when I went over to the house about a half hour later, I “apologized” to Grant for being late, saying I needed to take care of my Grandpa duties for a bit.  With a smile he replied “That’s why you’re here”. Indeed, it is why we’re here now.  There are many other reasons – to spend time with Grant & Hannah, see where they live, fellowship with the believers and friends in the Ixtlan church, help a little on the house construction... But we have looked forward to Ivory’s arrival and are thankful to be able to spend time with her while so little.

Our first grandchild.  It goes without saying that Ivory is adorable and precious and all the other adjectives fittingly used by grandparents.   “Special” seems to be a word that is often used to describe this phase of life.  It is probably appropriate, but not sure that it does it justice.  In addition to the joy of holding Ivory and getting to know her as God has created her, it brings more than a little opportunity for reflection on the passage of time (and life).  She represents the beginning of another generation for our family and extended family (first great-grandchild for my Dad and Mom).  We read about generations in the Bible.  Some good things, some bad.  But it is clear in God’s word that He expects us to pass His teachings and commandments on to succeeding generations.  Deuteronomy 4:5-9 says (in part):
v. 5  “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, . . . “
v. 6  “Keep therefore and do them; . . . “
v. 9  “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;”

God told Joshua to have a man from every tribe take up a stone from the midst of the flooded Jordan where they walked across on dry land, and set them up for a memorial on the other side of Jordan, to give opportunity to tell their children in time to come about how God parted the waters of the Jordan and the Red Sea to provide his people safe passage into the promised land.  We are blessed to consider God’s commandments that have been passed down to us through his Word and the generations before us.  May we be diligent to pass them on to the generations that follow.

Working on the house with Grant, Jose, Jose Jr. and Chuy has likewise been a blessing.  My lack of Spanish aside, there is always something about a construction project that has deeper meaning than walls and a roof, or in my task this week, where to put the electrical outlets and switches.  I trust most anyone that builds a house does so with the anticipation that it will be there beyond their time here on earth.  So again, it has been a reminder of what are we building for future generations.  Earthly things will eventually decay, but the relationships we establish and heritage we leave behind will have lasting impact on those to come.