In 2009, Ralph and I experienced for the first time the joy of becoming a grandparent. We were both so excited, and while we did not live close to our daughter at the time, we looked forward to babysitting and experiencing all the firsts. During our daughter’s pregnancy, I wrote a daily prayer journal; when we learned that she was expecting a baby boy, I began to personalize the prayers. Writing a prayer each day allowed me to be a part of her pregnancy journey in a special way.
I always heard that when you become a grandparent that it is like nothing you have ever experienced. I thought, “Well, I’m not going to be one of “those” grandparents.” I mean, I was excited, but I didn’t fully understand what “those other grandparents” were saying. Well, all that changed one morning when I was asked to watch Dutch, the name given to our first grandson. I drove from Muskogee to Oklahoma City and spent the night with our daughter. She left the next morning for a meeting, and I had the house and Dutch all to myself.
I could hardly wait for him to wake up from his morning nap. When he awoke, I did all the things you do, like changing his diaper, speaking “goo-goo” words to him, feeding him a bottle. After all those things were done, I decided I would just hold him in my lap so I could get a good look at him. That’s when it happened.
I will never be able to adequately explain what I experienced in those moments. As I gazed upon him, my heart did a flip-flop, and right then, I fell in love with this child; it was an unconditional love.
Well, that was a significant moment, but what came next was one of the holiest moments of my life. The light was shining through a window on his face, and then the precious voice of the Holy Spirit spoke: “Linda, I know how deep your love is for this child; imagine how much I love you. I love you with a deeper and greater love than you can possibly imagine.” Now, since I was a young child,
I knew God loved me, but in that moment, while holding my grandson in my arms, it was an even deeper revelation of the depth of God’s love for me.
During Lent, I pray you have an experience that assures you of God’s deep love, where you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God’s love for you is deep and wide and unconditional. God so loved the world… and that means you!
Rev. Linda Harker, Online Campus Pastor
