The Joy of the (Grand) Father

Last week, my wife and I had the pleasure of babysitting our grandson while his parents took a well-deserved mini get-away respite. After years of not having toddlers around, I have to admit that I was a bit rusty.

But one thing that became apparent very quickly was the immense joy I felt when being around him. (It also doesn’t hurt to see how much he love his silly grandpa – or G-Pops as I like to call myself.)

In the early morning hours when I couldn’t sleep (mostly because we were also dog-sitting with two very early rising fur balls), something dawned on me (in addition to the actual dawn). I imagine the joy of being a grandfather must be similar to the joy that our heavenly Father has with us.

It’s pretty amazing to think how God shares in the joy of seeing us smile. How he must let out a boisterous chuckle when we do something silly. How God’s heart must hurt when we fall when we lose our balance in life, or when we scream at the top of our lungs when things don’t do what we want them to do or go the way we want them to go.

But then we realize that the incredible feeling and love that burns inside of us towards this little child just happens to be the same jubilant love our God has for us. Whether we can put it into words how we feel or just sense the feeling within, we are loved and adored. Our Father is so very proud and wants to have a deep, personal, and long-lasting relationship with us. All we need to do is to allow God into our lives and for us to become one with him.

May we love as we are loved and share in the same joy that God has for us. Amen.

The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, who will sing joyfully because of you. ~Zephaniah 3:17

Are you clothed with joy? Find out here.