Reflections on the Hearts of Grandbabies

Last updated on: October 21, 2015 at 4:06 pm by Brenda Renee Coats

Reflections on the Hearts of Grandbabies 2015-10-21T16:06:00-07:00 Brenda Renee Coats

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The other day on Facebook, I posted a video of Auggie Fynn sitting on my hardwood floors playing with a tube of cardboard from a paper towel holder. There’s nothing captivating about a cardboard tube, but he was so lit up, so joyful about his newfound “toy.” He laughed and squealed and waved it around like the prized possession he believed it to be.

He also chewed on it, but, Ahem! We won’t spend a lot of time discussing that, as it makes me look like a negligent “Marmee” …

Most days, he’ll flash a two-toothed smile at me for no reason other than I’ve said hello. His blue eyes sparkle like car keys in sunshine at the simplest entertainment. Sometimes he’s somber. Rarely, he’s grumpy. And by rarely, I mean in the last eight months of his life, I’ve only heard him cry once out of anger.

When we say we see Jesus in someone, I think we typically speak of someone aged, whether literally or by life’s hard knocks – someone who has developed a soft, smiling, kind, and gracious disposition, even thought their life hasn’t been perfect. But I see Jesus in baby Auggie’s joy. In the soft, thankful heart of Jack. In the loving, excitable heart of Todd. I cherish their little hearts and have a strong desire to shepherd them so they might learn to persevere with all their joy, gentleness, and thankfulness through the hard times they are guaranteed to encounter as time goes on.

I can’t cause anyone to persevere, of course. Only God can determine the outcome and direction of a child’s heart. I can only join their parents in loving, correcting, encouraging, and steering them toward Christ.

Are you wondering why would I need to correct or steer in the right direction if their hearts are, as I portray, so golden?

You have a valid point. Truth is, I’ve only shared with you the bright, sun-shiny side of the story. Of course each boy has their sinful bents, but my ongoing hope and prayer is that they will be pliable – willing to bend in the opposite way their flesh tells them to flex. I’m just saying that in many ways, they are the ones teaching me. They are the ones exhibiting the Christ-like behavior that puts me to shame and reminds me that life is more than schedules and food prep and to-do lists and ________. It’s about becoming joyful, loving, thankful, and staying soft in the midst of this hard thing we call life.

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