Ellie From Afar

My grandson, Soren, is visiting Grandma and Grandpa for three weeks. We’re having a blast. We’ve gone to the San Diego Zoo, we’ve watched Cars 2 (or as Soren calls it Finn McMissile) at least 100 times, and raced Monster Trucks on the PS3. Good times.

The reason for the visit, at least the excuse we used with his parents, was our new granddaughter, Ellie. Ellie was born a few weeks ago and just happens to be the cutest baby in the world. As my son, Critter put it, Ellie is in rare company, she is only the third female in our family.

If you have read any of my stuff over the last three years you know just how much I love Soren. In fact, you may be sick of hearing about him. Too bad! I love this kid in a way I couldn’t fathom before I saw him the day he was born. Instantly, my heart melted and would never be the same. Soren was part of our lives from the beginning. He spent the night at our house, and often came by just to hang out.

So when Isaac and Tina told us they were going to have a new baby I was worried. In January they moved to Northern California. How was I going to be close to a new baby when I would only get to hold her once or twice a year and only see her on Skype? I was truly worried. I wanted to be close to her, just like I was with Soren, but I wasn’t sure how that would happen.

When Ellie came home from the hospital, Lanette and I got to Skype with her. She’s not much on conversation yet, but boy is she cute. I took one look at her, and my heart melted. I was filled with the same emotions and love that I felt for Soren three years ago. This big, burly guy got choked up. Suddenly, Ellie was an integral part of my life. She may be far away, but I will be just as close to her as I am to Soren. Love knows no distance.

You may be wondering how God could love you so much amidst the billions of people on planet earth. You may think that you are just a speck on the continuum of life, and that in the grand scheme of things, there is no way God could keep track of you. And if God was like us you would be right. The good news is that God is not like us, he is so far outside our little boxes that we cannot even begin to comprehend it.

My lack of understanding how big God is doesn’t change his abilities or capabilities. Your lack of faith or unbelief in God doesn’t diminish him, it just shortchanges you. What doesn’t change is God’s love for you. Right now, Ellie isn’t aware of me, I am merely a blur on a computer screen or a big guy in a hat who visits once in a while. Her lack of understanding of me doesn’t change my love for her. I am willing to bide my time, knowing that eventually she will come to love Grandpa Jerry just like her brother does. Soren will tell her about the cool things about Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Lanette, and she will love us. I am anxiously awaiting that day!

God, too, is anxiously awaiting the day that you come to acknowledge him and learn of his love. The difference is that he doesn’t want to wait, he wants you now. The reason he doesn’t want to wait is because he knows what is best for you, and how positive his influence can and will be in your life.

Loving Ellie from afar… Jerry