Coming of Age
LOVE AT ITS BEST I spent the past week with my two middle grandsons Joey & Lukie; they were a treasure to be with. I had heard from a friend a saying that, "Wonderful Grandpas make Wonderful Memories". I appreciated the sentiment that was included in this quote and I am not trying to take anything away from it, because it can be very true. What I would like to attempt to do is add something to it, so here goes. My two grandsons spent the week up north with us for our annual VBS week at ResLife which they have done for a number of past years. This one was very special to me in a number of ways capping it off in the morning watching the boy's outside, (VIDEO ATTACHED) they were scheduled to return home. There was something I believe the Lord wanted me to observe this morning that was very deep & touching. I woke early this morning at 5:30 or 6 am, I felt refreshed from sleep even though I don’t normally wake up this early something was nudging me to pull back the curtains and enjoy the morning air and sunrise through the northern woods. Not 30 seconds after the curtains revealed the early morning views & smells; a flash went by the corner of my eye through the window screen. My thought was that a deer flashed by, no it couldn't be, I looked out to see two little boys out by the fire pit at approximately 6:15 am, eagerly putting the last of the cardboard from the VBS decorations (which they worked on removing with their grandpa after Sunday service without complaints or lack of enthusiasm) now they were completing a task they were given on their own volition. A number of things struck me in this scene. One was the tenacity to get up on their own, follow through with a project they had started when we came home from our “adventure day out” on Monday in the UP of Michigan which ended at 10:30 pm with a partial bon fire. They had gotten up on their own early, fed themselves cereal, toast & juice, and went outside with a plan. They were going to finish what they started, together; and without procuring grandpa & grandma’s approval. Did they consider the risk of any problems, any retribution from the grandparents? This would be a question for another time. What I was observing (without any notice by them) was a “coming of age” of two young, growing, sensitive & caring boys willing to take a risk and begin, becoming men, men who are willing to take a chance, to make a decision, on their own without the thought of being criticized, or squashed down. I was witnessing a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. The second event I was witnessing was the comradery of two young men that were forming a natural bond that the Lord puts in us from birth. That is a bond of friendship, of love & respect for your best friend that you grow up in our formative years of development. This is also something that men as they grow older, tend to become lax in, either by choice or by the events and hardships of life in this world. Never the less, it is the way I believe God intended men & women to grow together in trust and childlike faith in their best friends. Jesus gave us perfect examples of true friendships with the 12 disciples He chose and His closest friends & allies Peter, James & John. We are also in a week of “Rest, Reflection & Replenish” at ResLife after our week full of VBS activities and ministering to our wonderful community. Jesus, we were told Sunday morning, also took His disciples away “To a Quiet Place”. This was for rest, reflection & replenishment; (spirit, soul & body). He was able to spend time “one on one time” with His closest friends for some “shoulder to shoulder time” ( as you can see in my attached little video) of my grandsons, the innocence, the closeness, the true uninhibited friendship that comes from spending time out in nature with one another. Get alone with Jesus for some “Quiet Time” this week, invite a friend, form a close bond again with a friend, like you did as a child. “TO HAVE A FRIEND, FIRST YOU HAVE TO BECOME A FRIEND”. Back to my story now of my grandsons Joey & Lukie; I observed two young men that instead of the earlier quote that “Wonderful Grandpas make Wonderful Memories”, I would add that…….. “WONDERFUL GRANDSON’S MAKE WONDERFUL MEMORIES” Joey & Lukie Grandpa Loves You You were an inspiration to me on that early Tuesday morning. Praise The One True God! Grow into the Men God called you to be, never be afraid to take a chance, to take some initiative and make decisions on your own, be willing to try, stay close to true friends, you will find them few at times in your life on this earth, but they are there, it was God’s original design for mankind. Jeremiah 29:11 Blessings Joe
