Recently we have had the joy of meeting our fourth grandchild, a beautiful little girl named Annabelle. What a most wonderful time in our lives. Many friends told us that being grandparents was great, but it was only with the experience that the true reality struck us. When Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord, two faithful and godly older people, Simeon and Anna, were waiting for the arrival of this special child. When Simeon saw Jesus, he took Him in his arms and praised God. When Anna saw Jesus, she gave thanks to God and then began to talk to everybody about the child. I have to say I understand how they both felt. We do praise the Lord and give thanks for each one of our grandchildren and there has been the occasional time when we have talked to others about how wonderful they are! But the thing I note with Simeon and Anna is that they were talking to everybody about the redemption of Jerusalem – the Saviour, their Lord. Yes there will be times when I talk about my grandchildren to others, but what I greatly desire is that I, as a godly grandmother, can talk to my grandchildren about my Saviour, so I can encourage them to find His way of life for their lives and that I can encourage my grandchildren’s parents to continue to train their children in the ways of God.
Joan Wills