Genesis 1:16

Wandering Through the Bible

July 24

God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. Genesis 1:16

Good morning! Today I want to review with me (and you!) my grandson Walker. God has used this little boy so much in my life to reveal Himself and His truths to me. Though he is a mere five years of age, the lessons God teaches me through Walker are timeless.

Before his little brother Connor came along, Walker was the only one. He didn't know about competition or sharing. He only knew he was the center of the universe, my universe. I often sang to him "You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine." Those were good times.

Fast forward to last year. Connor was two and Walker was four. The lessons on sharing were many, especially when you consider that Connor was--well, he was all about Connor and what was "mine!" Thankfully though, our Good Lord placed a sweetness in Walker's heart and nature that keeps the fighting down (sometimes anyway) and his generous nature often bursts forth. One day though this really became evident to me.

Walker was doing something and I said to him, "Does the world revolve around you?" He loves science and has been studying space for a while now. His response was, "No, Granny, you are the world. Connor is the sun and I am the moon. You revolve around the sun and I revolve around you." (Did I mention the kid was only four?!)

So, since that day, Connor has been my "sunshine" and Walker is my "moonshine." They even made me cute little wooden images of the sun and moon for Mother's Day to represent this. My point though is this: He must increase and I must decrease. Even though Walker didn't realize the enormity of his actions, he was placing himself in the lesser role of the moon so that his brother could shine, so that his brother could be the center of the universe, so that Connor could light the world with his brilliance while Walker stayed in the background, offering his own special version of light in those dark hours. No, he wasn't making Connor into Christ. Again, consider his age, consider his abilities. Mostly he had no clue the depth of this role-reversal from being "all about me" to "all about him." One day, I hope to share this lesson with him and commend him on being selfless at a time when his little soul was still adjusting to not being the center of the world.

Hmn. Paul taught of us decreasing so that the fame of Christ could be spread, could increase. He taught of putting ourselves last, of being content where we are, of remembering that it's not all about us but instead is all about Jesus. My sweet little grandson already "knows" this concept, of putting others first and ahead of himself at critical times that may just appear to some to be ordinary days. He's had some good teachings from his parents, his teachers at First Baptist Preschool of Lenoir, his PawPaw, and sometimes even his ol' Granny.

Today, my sweet little grandson goes to have his eyes checked and hopefully the Good Lord, the Great Physician will send him to this new doctor who can help his physical eyesight to increase. Please pray that this will happen. Also, please pray that regardless of his fleshly eyes, that the little windows to his sweet soul will remain fixed on the One Who shines so brightly in this kid. Let's pray!

Oh dear sweet Lord! My heart is overflowing with the love I feel towards my grandson yet it is also heavy with the thoughts that his vision has seen better days. You can fix him, God, I have no doubts of that. My thoughts though are that You may not, that You may use this "thorn in the flesh" to better keep him humble, to keep him from perhaps seeing the things in the world that will hurt him and lead him away from You. Whichever way You deem, God, my prayer is that Walker will never lose his focus on You, that as he grows and matures he becomes even more like You, and that I will continue to bask in this little moonshine of mine that You have so blessed me with.
In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

 

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