Daily Word of Grace # 179 (November 20, 2020)
When my son Paul was young we spent many hours at a local batting cage. I pitched bucket after bucket of baseballs to him and over the years he grew taller and stronger and became a very powerful hitter. Those are some of my favorite memories. Along these lines, I came across a recent post on social media where an elderly man left a bucket of baseballs at a local batting cage with this note taped to it: “Hope someone can use some of these baseballs in the batting cages. I found them cleaning out my garage. I pitched them to my son and grandson for countless rounds. My son is now 46 and my grandson is 23. I am 72 and what I wouldn’t give to pitch a couple buckets to them but they have both moved away. If you are a father cherish these times, you won’t believe how quickly they will be gone. God bless. PS: Give them a hug and tell them you love them every chance you get.” He is right, those times do go by so quickly and are soon gone. And yet the love of God for you—not just corporately but individually, the love of God for you—never goes away and is never gone, but lasts forever. In response to God’s amazing love we are called to love others: “We know love by this, that Jesus laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (1 John 3:16). And yes, this may very well include giving them a hug and telling them you love them every chance you get.
Love and Prayers,
Dave