September 20, 2023

Dear friends in Christ,

I realized this morning that my oldest granddaughter, Esther Joy, is soon not-to-be 7 years old anymore. Her 8^th birthday is tomorrow. Vicki and I will head over to St. Louis on Friday afternoon for a Saturday birthday party.

Being one who is into numbers quite a bit, it is interesting to me that I have had little Esther Joy as my granddaughter in this air-breathing world for approximately 2,920 days. That seems like a lot of days. However, when I think back as to how quickly we somehow arrived at this point, I realize that 2,920 days can feel like the snap of a finger.

Which makes me question how I have done with these last 2,920 days of Esther’s first 8 years of life? How have I managed and maximized those days so that she can experience God’s love and care through me?

It is easy to beat oneself up when looking back on all that could have been done to build a relationship. That is not why I am writing this note today – it is not my goal for all of us to heap guilt upon ourselves because of the time we have let slip away. All of us have done some things well and some things not so well in all of our relationships. Thank the Lord for His forgiveness through Jesus!

I am thankful for the limited time I have been able to spend with Esther over the course of the past 2,920 days. I am thankful for the ways I have been able to share my love with her on a regular basis, specifically through letter writing. 8 years are behind her, and I am thankful for the wonderful person she has come to be - with and without my influence.

The cool thing is that Esther will begin embarking on her next 2,920 days tomorrow. At the end of those she will be 16 years old. As I look ahead to that day, what do I want my relationship with her to look like when she gets there? Whatever that picture is, I think I will start working on that tomorrow.

In Christ,
Pastor John
 
(next Weekly Note: October 4, 2023)