Grandparents tend to have a special kind of love for their grandchildren, and can often have a significant impact in their lives. So, since today is Grandparent's Day, this TRUST post is for all of you grandparents who have the great opportunity of passing along your faith to your grandchildren.
As a grandparent, consider some of these ideas that may help encourage your grandchildren to live a life of faith:
Pray for them on a regular basis, and also be sure to TELL them you are praying for them.
Ask them HOW you can pray for them.
Teach them how to pray and/or take them to church with you, if their parents will allow it. (It's always important to be respectful of the parents wishes.)
For young ones, read stories to them that tell of God's love for them.
For grandchildren of ALL ages, share stories from your own life about times when prayers have been answered, or when you needed to TRUST God to help you through a difficult situation. Share your stories in person, or over the phone; or go one step further and record them on a cassette tape, or ask someone to video tape you telling your stories. What a special gift that would be!
If you enjoy writing, take the time to write your faith/trust stories in a notebook or journal in your own handwriting. This would be another great gift to give to the generations that follow you! Or, you could type up an entire memoir and get it self-published. If that is the direction you choose to go in, my friend Linda has a lot of helpful information on memoir writing over at her blog: SPIRITUAL MEMOIRS 101
I am thankful for the blessing of wonderful parents and grandparents who have impacted my life with their faith. Here are a just a few photos of our kids with the grandparents who have shared in their lives over the years. These loving grandparents have not only talked about their faith, but have also shown by their actions what it means to live a life of TRUSTING in the Lord.
At Robin Hood Woods Campground with Grandma & Grandpa S. - July 2004
On our church playground with Grandma & Grandpa Mc. - 2005
Various photos with Grandma & Grandpa S. in 2007
Playing at a park while visiting Grandpa & Grandma Mc. - August 2009
Visiting Great Grandma Mac in her home - June 2011
Celebrating the Holidays with Grandpa & Grandma S. - 2013
Various photos with Grandma & Grandpa Mc. in 2014
Both sets of grandparents at our house for a visit - August 2015
Mother's Day with Grandma Mc. - May 2018
Visiting a covered bridge with Grandma & Grandpa S. - May 2018
I'm finally back after taking a one-month blogging break. How are you doing with placing your TRUST in the Lord?
While I was on my break, my family took a mini-vacation with David's parents to St. Joseph, Michigan. I was excited to see the lighthouses there along Silver Beach; and even more excited to tour the bigger lighthouse and climb to the top of the tower.
I love lighthouses. I'm sure I got the interest in them from my dad, since he was a huge fan of them also. I thought of him a lot as we were walking out on the pier and, I admit, a few of my tears were shed. He would have loved being there, and I wished I could have shared those moments with him. But, I'm thankful I was able to share the experience with my husband, our son, and David's dad. I was in awe at my first, up-close look at a lighthouse.
What is it about lighthouses that are so intriguing? For one, they are beautiful, have interesting architecture, and they come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. But, more than that, they are great reminders of how God is a beacon for us in times of trouble. A lighthouse is lit up when it is dark or stormy to help navigate boaters safely to the shore. In the same way, God cares for those of us who TRUST in Him. He provides the light that navigates us through troubled waters, bringing us safe to shore.
What exactly does that mean? Does it mean nothing "bad" will ever happen to us? Does it mean we will never get hurt or scared? No. It means when we are lost, or going through a hard time - rough waters - the Lord is there to guide us and help lead us to a place of peace. Internal peace.
Hold that thought as you listen to and/or read the lyrics to My Lighthouse, a song by the Christian group Rend Collective. (JJ introduced us to this song when he came home from working at Youth Haven Bible Camp this summer).
In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won't walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
In the silence, You won't let go
In the questions, Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness. I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
I won't fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I'll rise and sing
My God's love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
Materialism, selfishness, and feelings of entitlement are being instilled into our children through the culture we live in. It is important to teach them, while they are young, to be grateful for the blessings God has given them, and to be generous in sharing those blessings with others.
Compassion International has a way to help teach these important lessons with their new e-book, Goggles of Gratefulness. It is a sweetly illustrated, 20-page book about a little bird who had an ungrateful attitude. Then, she had a change of heart while visiting a needy family member.
I will be taking a blogging break through the month of August, and will plan to be back with more TRUST posts on September 2nd. Until then, take some time to read through the first 28 weeks again; and, if you get a moment, I would love to hear from you. Please share what your favorite posts have been so far, or share a testimony of how these posts have impacted your walk with the Lord. Thanks for reading. ~Victoria
This lovely old hymn was written by a young missionary in 1882 after a heartbreaking, life-altering event took place. She wrote the words shortly after she watched her husband drown while trying to rescue a young child. Read the lyrics here, and click on the title to hear the tune:
Look closely at this photo and you can see people on top of the big rock. These people went on a journey to climb that rock in order to focus on the beauty around them. It reminds me of the climbs we have taken in life with our daughter, EL. Not physical climbs as we see in the photo; but emotional, developmental, and spiritual climbs - all due to EL's various health issues. Each climb we have taken has been used to help us exercise our faith, and to help us focus on the beauty around us.
It has been awhile since I have given an update on EL. Thankfully, that means she hasn't been having any major health issues lately. Yay! In fact, her last seizure was on July 15, 2016, two years ago today. After that seizure, her Pediatric Neurologist added an additional medication, which seems to have been the one that was needed to stop the seizures.
She started seeing a different Neurologist in February of this year - one that see's adults. We like her, and are happy her office is only an hour's drive from us instead of two. Next month, we will go back for a 6-month checkup and discuss weaning EL from the first medication she started taking and will see how things go.
Watching your child suffer through health issues is heartbreaking, to say the least. Through it all - her autism, her anxiety, her epilepsy, and her pituitary tumor - God has been a refuge for us. He has given us the wisdom, patience, and the strength we have needed for each and every climb we've come to. That is what TRUSTING in God can do.
Lauren Daigle has a way of putting beautiful expressions of worship to music. I love this song she co-wrote about TRUSTING in the Lord. It reminds me that God is my strength and comfort; my firm foundation. He goes before me and is with me through every mountain and every valley; and I can be assured that His plans for my life are always good, even when things don't happen in the way I think they should.
Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one down at Your feet
Every moment of my wandering
Never changes what You see
I try to win this war
I confess, my hands are weary, I need Your rest
Mighty warrior, king of the fight
No matter what I face You're by my side
When You don't move the mountains
I'm needing You to move
When You don't part the waters
I wish I could walk through
When You don't give the answers
As I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You
Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings
There's not a day ahead You have not seen
So let all things be my life and breath
I want what You want Lord and nothing less
When You don't move the mountains
I'm needing You to move
When You don't part the waters
I wish I could walk through
When You don't give the answers
As I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You
I will trust in You
You are my strength and comfort
You are my steady hand
You are my firm foundation
The rock on which I stand
Your ways are always higher
Your plans are always good
There's not a place where I'll go
You've not already stood
When You don't move the mountains
I'm needing You to move
When You don't part the waters
I wish I could walk through
When You don't give the answers
As I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You
I will trust in You
I will trust in You
I will trust in You
Songwriters: Lauren Daigle/ Michael Farren / Paul Mabury
When my parents were working with CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship), I was a young girl, around Kindergarten age. During that time, I can remember them asking my older brother and sister and me to sing some CEF songs and record them on a cassette tape to send to our grandparents.
LISTEN HERE TO US KIDS SINGING ONE OF THOSE SONGS:
THE WORDS TO THE SONG: I'm glad I'm a Christian.
I'm TRUSTING the Lord.
I'm reading my Bible;
Believing each word.
The past is forgiven;
From sin I am free.
A mansion in Heaven
Is waiting for me.
I chose to share this song with you today because it presents an important message about TRUSTING in the Lord. You can see it in the first verse, about how a big part of TRUSTING comes from BELIEVING. But, its not just about believing God exists, its also about believing His Word (the Bible) is TRUE. In order to fully TRUST in God, it is important to believe in the reliability and inerrancy of His Word. It is the foundation of the Christian faith, and believing in its truth will make a huge difference in the strength of your TRUST.
If you are currently doubting the reliability of Scripture, I really don't think there is anything I can say to convince you of its truth. It is a matter of faith and worldview on your part, and something you will need to choose to believe in. But, if you are struggling with this subject and want some good articles to ponder, here are a few to get you started. I pray they will help answer some of your questions:
As I look at the photo above (taken in 2008), I see my 5-year-old son, JJ, and smile. He was so little then, and was so dependent on me and David. We knew he could have easily fallen and gotten hurt while playing on this playground equipment; but we also knew we needed to allow him this time of play. Why? Because, as he was having fun playing, he was also developing a range of much-needed skills. He was developing motor skills, coordination, creativity, confidence-building, and independence - all necessary skills that have helped him learn, grow, and engage in the world around him.
JJ is 15 years old now, and he is experiencing a new form of independence and confidence-building skills while spending a large part of his summer 6 hours from home. He is with my brother and his family at Youth Haven Bible Camp in the hills of Kentucky. The first week of June, he attended Jr. Staff Orientation, then spent a week of being a camper during teen week,
and now he is working and serving as a Jr. Staff member until the middle of July.
If you are a parent, you can understand how difficult it is to allow a child to go so far away from home, and for so long of a time; but, I realize that allowing JJ to go and do new things is all part of the growing up process - for both him and for me (heh heh). So, I have been praying for JJ
daily, and have been choosing to TRUST in God by placing JJ's well-being into God's hands. In fact, David and I have both been praying, not only for JJ's health and safety, but also for his spiritual growth, and for him to have learning experiences that will help shape him into the young man God
wants him to become.
I
remember back when I was barely 16, and I spent most of the Summer
working as a "summer missionary" at Camp Good News in Minnesota. I
have memories from that time of situations that have helped shape my
life and make me the person I am today. I can only ask the same for JJ. So, although I miss him, I am thankful he has this opportunity to spend some time with his cousins, and to serve and work at the camp.
Playing in the park can help a young child's development. In the same way, being away from home for awhile can help a teenager's development. I am TRUSTING that this experience will be an exciting time of
learning and growing for JJ, and I look forward to hearing about all he has done and learned during his time away.
On the day each of our children were born, David was a tremendous help throughout the labor and delivery process. He stayed near me the entire time, making sure all was going as well as it could be. Then, as soon as our baby was born, he quickly checked to see that I was okay, then went to be near the young ones as they were being cleaned up. At each birth, he had made an obvious transition from being a caring and protective husband to being a caring and protective father. And, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
David with our 1st-born child -1998
David with our 2nd-born child - 2003
A good father can be TRUSTED to love his children, protect them, and to care for them in ways that only a good father can. I am thankful and pleased to have that kind of a father for my children.
Unfortunately, not everyone in this world has had a father who has earned that same kind of trust. If that is YOU, don't be discouraged. We know from God's Word that you, too, can have a Father who can be trusted - a Heavenly Father. When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you are adopted as a child of God. He becomes the good Father you never had.
So, today, which is Father's Day in the United Stated, don't be afraid to open your heart to the Heavenly Father, placing your TRUST in Him. He is a Father who loves you, cares for you, wants to be a part of your life, and knows you better than anyone - even to the point of knowing how many hairs are on your head. He is a Father who can be TRUSTED.
