I’m just coming off from ten days of “Grandma/Grandpa Camp” with four of our out-of-town grandchildren. As you can imagine, this grandma has gotten a little rusty not having kids in her home 24/7 like the “old days.” And not just rusty! I am older, tire more easily, and my memory has slipped a bit! (How many times did I mix up my granddaughter’s names!?!) “Grandma!!!”
Going into the time, I knew I would need help… help from Dave, help from our sons Matthew, Andrew, and Mark, and most of all, help from God! Interestingly, within two days of the kids’ arrival, I came down with a cold that left me literally speechless for two days! And it just so happened, that Dave was called out of town for some ministry business at the exact same time! (God has a way of making it clear that we ARE needy people, doesn’t He!)
The Lord provided in some creative ways, thanks to our in-town sons and some friends, and my summer cold improved significantly and quickly without any of the kids getting it!!! THAT is a miracle in itself!
The most encouraging thing however was what I would call “the promptings of the Spirit.”
More than once, when I was tempted to be impatient with arguing children or grumpy attitudes (including my own! Remember ten days with grandkids), God’s Spirit would give an idea that would set the course.
One specific way God directed was by having me rediscover a book I purchased a few years back that contains five-minute devotionals for children. The older kids read one each day and somehow, reading and talking about selfish cuckoo birds and patient penguins became a guiding go-to reminder when our little “cuckoo birds” became selfish and impatient. In it all, God showed me that I CAN BE A selfish cuckoo bird, wanting MY WAY and that I can learn much about sacrifice and patience from daddy penguins!!!
Influencing kids (and grandkids) is truly “the Lord’s work”- a special job that He entrusts to us…. a job that requires leaning on the Lord and His strength and His Spirit. I love this quote by Corrie Ten Boom that seems to so aptly describe my experience at “Grandma Camp!”
“Trying to do the Lord’s work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.”
Whatever our setting: kids or no kids, in all that we are doing, my prayer is that the ministry of Jesus would just flow out of us all. “Holy Spirit fill and flow through us today!”