My husband Paul and I love it that our grandbabies feel as at home at our house as they are at their own. Two of them came to visit us last night, and boy did they make their presence known.
Four-year-old Ava raided the drawers and cabinets for pans, spoons, and bowls, and set up her own kitchen on the hearth in our family room. She fixed us some delicious cereal and one-year-old Nolan assisted her by banging on the pizza pan with a metal spoon, melting our hearts as we listened to his sweet laughter. Add in some snuggle time with both of them and it was an awesome evening.
Their mama picked them up about bedtime. Paul and I love their visits, but since we’d had a long day before the kids arrived, we were both quite tired after they left. I fell asleep on the couch, so I didn’t straighten the house until this morning.
And then in the bright light of day, I discovered something—Nolan had left fingerprints and nose prints behind—on the glass doors in the kitchen, the oven door, and even the glass doors on the fireplace. I smiled as I saw those sweet reminders that he’d been there.
And then I got to thinking about that. Just like that precious baby boy left those prints on the glass, all of us leave behind reminders of where we’ve been in our lives. Reminders of times we let God down when we weren’t faithful and did things that were wrong. And, hopefully, there are also reminders of times where we’ve served Him.
It doesn’t take a lot for us to be extensions of His hands. It can be as simple as taking a meal to a sick friend, a phone call to pray with someone going through hard times, teaching a group of children for Sunday school, or even doing some car repairs for a single mom on a tight income.
Let’s ask Him to give us hearts that are tender to others, and hands that are willing to go the extra mile to serve Him.
I know I’ve failed Him so many times, but oh how I hope He’ll discover some of my left-behind fingerprints, reminders that will make Him smile and make Him proud of His girl. How about you?
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us . . . Psalm 90:17.
