Information Related to "A Grandchild to Bring You Joy"
Audio/Video |
A Grandchild to Bring You Joy By Anthony Wasilkoff One of the happier blessings of growing older, is the arrival of grandchildren. The bond and love you feel is truly a reward.
t has been noted that the only time Sigmund Freud ever cried was when his grandson died. The death of little Heinerle Rudolph resulted in Freud's first ever depression. Three years after the fact, Freud told a confidant that it had been impossible for him to enjoy his life since the loss of the lad. When the biblical character Joseph finally revealed his identity to his estranged brothers, he directed them to hurry back home and bring their father to start a new life in Egypt. Joseph added the following details: "You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have" (Genesis 45:10). One of the joys of parenting is to see one's children safely grown, marrying and starting to raise families of their own. Scripture describes offspring as being "a heritage of the LORD" and a "reward" (Psalm 127:3), and so they are. Similarly, grandchildren are a heritage and reward not only to the two parents, but perhaps even more so for the four grandparents and possibly even great-grandparents. A second chance
Psalm 128:5-6 proclaims, "The LORD bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Yes, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel!"
On another occasion, he witnessed me disciplining my son for some misdemeanor. Then he took me aside and admonished me for having been too tough on him. I wondered why he didn't follow his own advice when I was little. As I remember, he had often been pretty tough on me when I was a child. Proverbs 17:6 says, "Children's children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father." The best inheritance
One of the first surprises that a grandparent experiences, is how quickly he or she can become bonded with a grandchild. You might expect that it would take a series of many encounters over a long period of time. However, the truth of the matter is that the connection develops almost instantly. This is why Sigmund Freud suffered his first depression as he did.
Lee Pitts, in his oft-quoted essay, wrote: "We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd know better. I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes, homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf. I really would. My cherished grandson, I hope you learn humility by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car -- and I hope nobody gives you a brand-new car when you are sixteen. It will be good if at least one time you can see a baby calf born and you have a good friend to be with you if you ever have to put your old dog to sleep..." ("These Things I Wish for You," Chicken Soup for the Golden Soul, 1999). Grandchildren are a joy and we can be confident that our Heavenly Father may be enlisted to be sure of the right results for all the grandchildren in the collective Church of God. Copyright 2007 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved. |
|||||||||||||||||
Related Information:
Other Articles by Anthony Wasilkoff
Origin of article "A Grandchild to Bring You Joy"
Keywords: grandchildren grandparenting
Grandparent: