A Crown for the Aged — The Blessing of Grandchildren

On the morning of February 9, 2018, a new life entered the world and was given the name “Olivia Brave McGill.”

Our beautiful grandchild. Don’t you agree?

I think about the anticipation we had preceding her birth.

Many prayers of intercession were offered to our Heavenly Father, requesting a healthy child to be born to Isaiah and Tiffany…from us and many others.

We gratefully thank each one of you who prayed for Olivia, her mother, and her father.

Her mother recently told me how she felt the hand of God on her, and this little miracle arrived much to the joy and anticipation of us all without incident.

Proverbs 17:6 from the Bible says:

“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” (Proverbs 17:6, NIV)**

This proverb captures the essence of wise parents who have taught their children biblical principles and the obedient children who appreciate them.

A beautiful family picture of mutually blessed generations, a crown or “jeweled” symbol of honor, blessing and reward.

Anticipation

Rick and I are excited about this new chapter in our lives as we know Olivia’s other grandparents are too.

Next to parents, grandparents exert a tremendous influence on their grandchildren.

At this stage in our lives, we have more time and, hopefully, more wisdom to share than at any other time.

By being faithful to God and to each other, we want to provide loving care and wise training for Olivia.

As Christian grandparents, Rick and I want first and foremost for Olivia to know the Lord.

We want her to not only see us read the Bible, but we want her to observe us living biblical principles.

She will know we aren’t perfect, but we hope she will see us seek forgiveness and always show love to one another and to her.

Our greatest hope and joy is to leave a Christian influence that Olivia can remember long after we are gone.

The Farm

We also look forward to “properly” introducing Olivia to the farm.  The farm can be an adventurous place: filled with sights, smells, and sounds that incite curiosity and exploration.

Of course, we’re thinking about all this with future anticipation since Olivia just turns two weeks old today.

However, as she grows, we envision introducing Olivia first to our “puppies” Zeus and Xena, our beloved Great Pyrs.

I see them in my mind’s eye sniffing Olivia all over, memorizing her particular scent as a new member of the family, guarding her every step, and recognizing that she is now part of their “herd” to watch over and protect.

Xena, with her exhuberant personality, will immediately want Olivia to play, to run and to jump. She will show Olivia her free spirit, her zeal for living, and just how much fun it is to roll around in the mud.  🙄 

To the contrary, Zeus the ever watchful guardian, will be more standoff-ish. But he will watch Olivia’s every move and wait till she is calm and still, perhaps sleeping, to further investigate his new family member.

Zeus is the one who will be there when Xena gets distracted, if only for a minute, because he is steadfast and totally committed to his charges.

 Committed

As grandparents, we are committed to defer to Olivia’s parents out of respect for any special instructions for their daughter when she is with us.

We’ve also consciously committed to not interfering with the marriage of Olivia’s parents or to give unsolicited advice about their parenting skills.

Our thoughts are that since God ordained their marriage, they became one flesh.  That doesn’t leave any room for others (including us) to interfere. Our position is “if they want our advice, they’ll ask for it.”

We want Olivia to grow up knowing that more than anything, she is loved by a loving God. We want her to experience the abundant life as we have.

“…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, NIV)**

* Photo of Isaiah and Tiffany by Robert Armbrust

**Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.