Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"Restoring Grandpa"
Jan. 15, 2018
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High; to declare Your steadfast love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night.
~ Psalm 92:1-2 (ESV)
People and nations can often copy the story which first appeared in Grimm's Fairy Tales.
The story tells of a father, mother, and son who lived with the grandfather. Now grandpa made it clear that everything he had should be thought of as their own. At first, the young family was most thankful. But then, as the years past, grandpa's presence in their lives became a burden, a nuisance, a disgrace, an embarrassment.
When friends came to call, grandpa was shuttled off to the upstairs; when conversation was made at the dinner table, grandpa was ignored. Finally, at one supper, grandpa, as he lifted the fork to his mouth, was bumped. The food fell off the fork, hit his shirt, and stained the table cloth.
Mother and father agreed grandpa should be moved away from the family dinner table.
And so it was. Grandpa was given a spot in the corner of the kitchen where he could sit on a stool and eat from a bowl. Even though he was mistreated, grandpa still loved his family and didn't complain. From a distance he sat in silence, watching his family eat his food, from his plates, in his kitchen. Then, one day, as the mother was bringing food to the table she tripped. Grandpa's plate went flying as he rose to catch her. With grandpa's food all over, his son shouted, "If you cannot eat better than a pig, then you shall eat like a pig!" And the son built a small wooden pig trough for his father. Grandpa was banished from the kitchen and moved to the front porch.
Things might have stayed that way if it were not for the day mother and father saw their son building something in the shed. When asked what he was doing the boy said, "I'm building a trough for you and mama. That way, someday, I can feed you the same way you feed Grandpa." Now, because this is one of Grimm's happy-ever-after fairy tales, the story ends with mother and father appreciating grandpa and restoring him to a place of honor.
Of course, as I say, this is a fairy tale, and fairy tales don't always translate into reality, do they?
The truth is like the parents in the story, many people and nations of the world have banished God to a corner or have put Him out on the porch. They want God out of the way so they can say they, not the Lord, are the providers of everything. Puffing up their chests, sticking out their chins, they proudly, and foolishly, say to all the world: "Look what we have done."
And, God -- like the grandfather in the story -- God waits patiently. He waits for people to realize the direction they are going is false and foolish. God waits patiently for that moment when nations and individuals will realize that on their own they can do nothing. God waits patiently for His people to see the Savior whose life was given as the sacrifice which forgives, restores, and recycles us.
God waits for us to see just how valuable He is.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may we never take for ourselves the glory which belongs to You alone. Keep us humble and appreciative of Your many gifts, the most important of which is Your Son Jesus, our Lord. In His Name we pray. Amen.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
People and nations can often copy the story which first appeared in Grimm's Fairy Tales...
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