Relatives

My grandson is 28 years old now, but he was much younger when he helped me learn something important about God. I wrote about it at the time this way:

My grandson, Russell, asked me a question recently that pointed up how far the world is from fulfilling God’s plan for the family – and how great his mercy and love are in forgiving and renewing us.

I was taking care of my two grandchildren while my daughter and her husband had dinner with her father and some of his relatives. The children would have gone, too, but Russell had chicken pox.

Russell, who is 6, asked me why I hadn’t gone to the dinner.

I said something about that being another part of the family and families being like that today.

It triggered another question, one I believe he must have been pondering all along because the words came so quickly.

Russell asked if his stepfather was my stepson.

I answered, “No, he’s my son-in-law.”

He stared at me, a puzzled look on his face. After a brief pause, he tried again.

“He isn’t your stepson?”

“No, Russell,” I replied. “I don’t have any stepchildren. The only children I have are your mother and your Uncle Nathan. Your daddy is my son-in-law.”

He grew very still, very serious. It was almost possible to hear the wheels of thought turning around in his head.

“Then what am I?” he asked, with as much challenge as question in his voice.

“You are my one-and-only, very precious grandson,” I said.

My delight in that fact must have been conveyed by my expression and tone of voice for he raced to me and gave me a big hug.

“I’m your chicken pops grandson,” he shouted with pleasure.

He repeated the hug, then turned to pick up a toy.

Life goes on.

So did my thoughts – on to the difference between our lives and the lives of so many people I know and the intention of God for families as expressed in the Bible.

How many men and women I know are no longer married to their first husband or wife. How many children have step parents and stepbrothers and half brothers.

How many opportunities we have missed for knowing God’s blessing through obedience to his word.

It made me very conscious of the pain we have caused each other and of the burden of guilt we bear before the Lord for making such a mess of things.

Without Jesus’ death for us on the cross, we would have had to bear that burden for ever.

I am so grateful for the forgiveness which God made possible for us through his great love. I am enormously thankful for the fact that he can bring blessing even out of such failures.

Russell has parents and stepparents, a half sister at his mother’s house, a stepbrother and hal brothers at his father’s and a couple of extra grandparents.

All of us love him dearly, but not one of us singly or all of us together can give him righteousness, peace and joy. Only his heavenly Father can do that.