Grandchildren

Devotion by: Jill Peterson

Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9

So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

See, just as the LORD my God has charged me, I now teach you statutes and ordinances for you to observe in the land that you are about to enter and occupy. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.

Our youngest daughter, Robin, is pregnant with her first child. This baby girl, due in March, will be named Nora after my mother, Nora Marguerite, who died just over five years ago.

There is something about new life coming into this world that makes us think about what kind of lasting impact we are having on our children and grandchildren. As these words from Deuteronomy remind us, God has taught us that we are to live by certain decrees and laws, as He has commanded. He instructs us to teach these laws and decrees to our children and their children after them. We are to remember that He is near to us and always available through prayer.

Nora Marguerite, “Maggie” as she was called, followed these decrees and laws faithfully. What an example for our children she was! She was honest, kind, fair and courageous -- and she loved the Lord. She showed us how to live by the way that she lived her life. Robin has chosen to honor her grandmother’s memory by naming this child after her. We should all live such that our children and grandchildren want to name their children after us.

PRAYER: Lord, help us this day to be an example to our children and grandchildren. They learn from what they see. Let them see us at our best in all we do and how we handle the challenges and joys of this life. Let us all be blessings, such that we will have many namesakes! Amen.