the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Daily Devotionals
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
As a new grandfather I am now experiencing an entirely unique set of emotions. I am feeling things I never knew I would or could feel and now understand what my dad meant when he told me to have my grandkids first and then my kids. There is a completely different package of appreciation, love and interest attached to grandchildren than there was with my own children.
As such, when my daughter-in-law expressed concern over taking the twins by herself to their first doctor's appointment I decided that I could sqeeze the time out of my schedule to help her. We loaded Gracie and Paddy (that's the Irish nickname for Patrick, Padraig is the Irish spelling, hence the name Paddy) into their car seats and locked them into the bases that were waiting in the back seat of their mama's Grand Cherokee. And off to the doc we went.
The doctor said that the kids were just fine, doing well. Of course they were, they're my grandchildren. Then he ordered a blood test and sent us next door to the hospital. They took Paddy first and he cried loudly while we sat in the waiting room and listened. But they weren't able to get enough from him so they would have to restick him later. They did. I sat in the waiting room as long as I could, then I went to the room where they had my little guy.
Paddy was exercising his lungs quite well when I arrived at the door. "Now, now, Paddy," I said as soothingly as I could, "Pawpaw's here and you're okay." The next moment will stay with me forever. Paddy quietened down. With two days of talking to him and one feeding time, he knew my voice. I was elated. I wondered if that was how Jesus felt each time His sheep responded to Him. We hear His voice and we follow His words.
"But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." John 10:2-4 The voice of Jesus calls us to a lifetime of feeding from Him. Do you know His voice?
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' Copyright 2010 © Tom Kelley. 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with their complete bio and a link to https://www.studylight.org/ 2) 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
