In the summer of 2005, we took two of our grandsons
on vacation with us. On one particular day Grandma, Curtis, and
Alex went on an excursion, leaving Grandpa at the car with our
dog, Mallee. The three of us were gone a considerable length of
time, but, other than being hungry, Grandpa didn't seem to mind
the wait.
Now we move on in time to the spring of 2006.
Our son related a recent conversation he had had with Curtis.
Thirteen-year-old Curtis came to him with tears in his eyes and
something heavy on his mind. It seems Curtis had been thinking
about his Grandpa and realized the boys did things with Grandma
more often than with Grandpa. He felt perhaps Grandpa didn't know
how much he loved him. He told his dad, "From now on I want
to spend more time with my Grandpa every chance I have."
(It may be difficult since we live in West Virginia and Curtis
lives in Texas.)
After being told of this incident, I began to
think that, at times, we Christians might do much the same in
our relationship with Christ. How many times do we find ourselves
putting various things ahead of the Lord? He tells us in Matthew
6:33 and Luke 12:31, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God."
He said, in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commandments."
Many times we go out of our way to do what pleases us but make
excuses when it comes to being faithful to Him. Being faithful
is not a once-in-a-while way of life. We must not neglect God's
Word. Read 2 Timothy 2:15 and Acts 17:11.
In Curtis' mind, he had neglected Grandpa and
felt very remorseful. He had a deep, painful regret for what he
thought was wrongdoing toward his Grandpa. His tears remind us
of Peter's tears as recorded in Matthew 26: 75 when he went out
and wept bitterly following his denial of Jesus. The dictionary
defines regretful as "sorrowful because of what is lost,
gone, or done." Curtis had a feeling of sorrow heavy enough
to bring about tears.
This grandmother has been taught a lesson: Do
not neglect someone who loves me very much! Christ loves me so
much that he gave His life for me, so I must never neglect Him.
The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 4, about things
he could do to uplift those around him. By reading that chapter,
we can glean much to put into practice in our daily lives. Look
around at our young people. There are many who are doing what
Timothy was instructed to do. We'll be sure to find them doing
something worthy of our praise. -Route 2 Box 177, Belington, WV
26250 mrmrsl@meer.net