Lessons From Disappointment

This past weekend Monica and I were able to visit our daughters and their families, which means our three grand-children. Due to everyone's busy schedules, we were unable to get together to celebrate our family Christmas this year in December, so we decided to do it in January. We were able to celebrate that on Saturday afternoon, with kids and grand kids opening presents.

The same weekend also coincided with the NFC Championship game that Sunday. Since both of my daughters and my wife and I are Green Bay Packer fans we were able to watch the game together. Of course, our grand children have all been given Green Bay gear at one time or another and so it made for a fun afternoon to get our Green Bay jerseys and t-shirts on to watch the game. Monica and I have all three grand children in the picture below.

Unfortunately, the game ended with probably one of the worst, if not the worst endings of a Packer game in my 48 years of being a Packer fan. I think most everyone in the world watching the game had thought the Packers had the game clinched for the win and a spot in the Super Bowl, but for lots of strange reasons, things fell apart and they lost the game in overtime.

Now, in the past, that might have ruined the rest of my day. I probably would have moped around the rest of the evening. Maybe it's my competitive nature. I played sports all of my life.(at least until I got too old and starting pulling hamstrings) For me, it's not fun when your favorite team loses. Period.

Something was different though on this day. We had a great morning worshiping together as a family. The church we attend, that my daughters are members, is the church where I became born again. During one of the worship songs, the thought of that moment, the thought of my daughters and their families being right there too, made me so emotional I began to cry and couldn't sing. It was a good cry.

We had so much fun getting dressed up to watch the game and to cheer for the Pack. Look at the picture again. You can see the joy on our faces. And even though they lost the game, it took less than a few minutes of sadness and then I looked around to watch my grand children playing with their toys and then getting to hold them and those feelings pretty much vanished.
WHY?

There is just something about children in general, but even more importantly, your own flesh and blood....that just brings a smile to your face. Especially when they call you Papa:) And that morning of being reminded of my own redemption, my daughters redemption, and the hope for my grandchildren to accept their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was the only thing of real importance that day. Not a football game on TV.

I wonder if Jesus had a smile on his face when people wanted to bring their children to see him? I pray that my grandchildren can come to Him with a "child like faith".

"Some people were even bringing infants to Him so He might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. Jesus, however, invited them: “Let the little children come to Me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:15-17