This week at church, I got to run the projector during the first half of the service prior to giving the message.  I started out at the front of the sanctuary but snuck to the back to run the computer while person who was filling in for our vacationing audio-visual tech made some announcements and read some scripture.  My granddaughter who is about 2 years old saw me sit down at the computer and she quietly made her way over to me.  She crawled up into the pew and sat in my lap.  She just wanted to sit with me for awhile.  It was a very special moment for me.

Let me explain.  Naturally my granddaughter is very close to her parents.  She adores her mom who is with her at home every day and she loves her dad – she runs to greet him at the door at the end of the day, shrieking with laughter and excitement.  She is also very close to my wife, a.k.a. “Nana”, who is now a stay at home grandmother.  Now let me quickly say that my wife is not old enough to be retired, but we are blessed enough that she is able to now be a stay at home grandmother or “nana” as she likes to be called.  I am very happy for her.  But I must admit that I am a little bit jealous.  She has many more opportunities to spoil our granddaughter than I do.

That is why I treasure those moments when our granddaughter seeks me out for some special time with “Paw Paw”.  There are just so many options for a 2 yr old to choose from in their day; books to color, walls to color, crayolas to eat.  The things to do list for a two year old is endless!  I am thrilled when the list is interrupted and the routine is stopped and she chooses to come and crawl up on the couch, or in this case on the pew and sit on my lap.  And even though we just sat silently and listened to the doxology, some announcements and the old standard “Standing on the Promises of God”, it was a great time of worship for me.  For 15 minutes, my granddaughter and I fellowshipped together in the Lord’s House, in His Presence.  She sought me out and put me at the top of her list.  It blessed my heart.  I think it gives me a glimpse of how the Lord feels when we seek Him out and put Him at the top of our list.  David said in Psalm 95:6

“Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”

So many times in our lives we are simply too busy to make time for the Lord.  We have too many things to do, too many places to go and too many others to see.  We are simply too tired or too busy to make time for Him.  But I know from experience that when we put down our proverbial crayolas, when we finally make time for our Creator, move Him to the top of our list, seek out His Presence and make the effort to go and place ourselves next to Him, it brings great joy to His heart.  And I know that it bonds us together with Him, strengthens our relationship and blesses our heart too.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com