76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways. ~ Luke 1:76
By Bro. John L. Cash
In a few days, Landon will be turning 18 months old. I’ve come to realize that there’s a learning curve involved in being a stay-at-home-grandpa.
A lot of tasks have become easier as time has passed. The first unassisted bath I gave him as tiny infant was difficult for both of us. But now he laughs with joy when I pour a cup of water over his head. Life is good.
I’ve learned a lot in other areas of childcare, too. When I first started, it seemed like I always had trouble finding matching clothes for Landon. It didn’t matter so much when we were at home all day, but it became an issue when we had to run errands.
Once I texted Susan this photo from the grocery store:
Susan quickly wrote back, “JOHN! HIS CLOTHES DON’T MATCH!”
I texted back my defense. “Landon’s making a fashion statement. He wants to be a hipster, like his Uncle Spenny.”
Well, Susan was unimpressed by my fashion sense (and my explanation). So, I decided to search for a new and better plan. It didn’t take too long until I found a solution: “Garanimals.”
Without a doubt, the Garanimals corporation was founded with grandfathers in mind. They invented a line of children’s clothing in which the colors are easy to match. It’s amazing to me the thought that went into it all—shirts and pants, tank tops and shorts, all color-coordinate in dozens of ways.
I quickly filled my shopping cart with Garanimals (and bunch of white socks.) Life was beautiful again:
There’s an important spiritual principle here. We always help ourselves by making it easy to do the right thing. We’ll eat more healthy foods and less junk if we fill our refrigerators with fresh produce instead of pound cake. And we’re more likely to make it to Sunday school if we get things ready the night before.
Our actions will “match” our intentions if we ask the Lord to help us prepare ourselves.
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad.” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and has spent the last 33 years being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He’s a retired Mississippi public schoolteacher with grown sons, and is now a stay-at-home-grandpa with his grandson, Landon Cash. He and his lovely wife, Susan, live in a brick house in town (where we’re looking forward to cooler weather so we can play outside more.) You can send him a note at brotherjohn@ilovechurchcamp.com.
