Joyous reunion
As any grandparent will likely say, it is a joy when our grandchildren visit. And—we receive extra blessings when the feeling is mutual.
Recently my daughter, son-in-law and my two grandchildren stopped by. Watching out my kitchen window, I spied my girl (she’s three) as her dad lifted her out of her car seat. She raced toward the house, a happy grin sending sunshine to my heart.
But she stopped. Either her mom or dad had called to her to wait, likely trying to keep her from barging into my house without even a knock. My girl’s happy face disappeared. Dejected, she turned back to wait for her parents.
I stepped out into the garage and called to her. She whipped around and laughed with joy. Her eyes sparkled and her little legs pumped furiously as she raced into my arms.
My heart overflowed.
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:3-7)
There are many ways, we, as humans experience joy. But what about the joy our Lord feels when we come to Him in remorse and repentance? It isn’t just our initial decision to accept the gift of His salvation—His death on the cross for our sins—it is our daily journey with Him that also brings Him joy.
I love my children and grandchildren more than my life, but Jesus loves ALL of us with a greater love than we can explain or comprehend. I believe He experiences pleasure in our present living and will also be joyful when we join Him in Heaven.
David writes of the joy of expectation and reunion with our Father in Heaven:
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:9-11)
One more thought about that exciting reunion in Heaven. Not only will we be with our Lord for a joyous meeting—we will also be together with our loved ones who have gone before us.
Do you have someone you are especially looking forward to seeing again in Heaven?
I am sure God the Father experiences great joy when He sees His own children coming to Him!
Luke 15:7 “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
It makes me happy when I think of our Father and all the Heavenly hosts being joyful about the one lost who has been found. I’ve been that one. Thanks for the blessing of your comment, Ben.
Thanks for the reminder of God’s awesome love. I’m looking forward to seeing my mom and brother in heaven, but most of all the face of my Savior.
Like you, Sarah, I look forward to seeing my mother. I miss her every day. I so look forward to seeing my special loved one, too. There’s a big empty space in my life now. But I know my loved ones are with Jesus and I anticipate with joy, being with our Savior and the reunion with my family. Peace and blessings.
Katherine, what a sweet introduction. My grandchildren often give me pictures of how God feels about me – much like your illustration. I tell them how it’s my best day just because I saw and hugged them and that’s how God feels when I acknowledge and draw close to Him. To answer your question – so many people. My address book has fewer names in it each year.
I agree, Marilyn. A hug from our grandchildren just makes for a happy day. I’m like you, so many people I love are already with Jesus. It will make for a wonderful reunion, won’t it? Wishing you a day filled with sunshine and a visit from your grandchildren!
I’m a grandparent, too, Katherine, and my heart resonates with yours as I picture that scene and remember similar ones that my wife and I have had. Sometimes we forget that God created every capacity we have for feeling things, and the template for those emotional possibilities was Himself. We were created “like” Him, in HIs “image.” No concept in the history of the world can surpass that one for the incredible scope of possibilities included in that one. All the devil could ever do was to twist and pervert them. He could neither create any of his own or take from us what God made possible. Thank you, my friend, for an uplifting and encouraging reminder of the heart of the One who has planned a reunion for us filled with joy beyond expression.
Thank you for sharing your insight, Ron. You have emphasized an important point–God gifted us with an amazing set of emotions, based on His own. When our emotions become distorted or harmful, that is the devil’s influence. We must be on guard not to allow our emotions to bring pain or tragedy to others. I’m so glad He gifted us with joy and love to show us how much He values those emotions. In Matthew 2:36-39, Jesus reminds us of the importance of loving God and others. Wouldn’t our world be a happier and more peaceful place if we could do that?
For sure my joy is magnified when the little ones reciprocate the feeling. It happens more when they’re preschool age. I need to remember that God wants me to reciprocate the joy He feels when I come to Him.
Children are so open about their feelings until we teach them to hide them. When I was teaching elementary students they would blurt out whatever they were thinking–sometimes painful for the recipient. I suppose as we try to teach them to be more loving and tactful in their comments, children also slip into the habit of hiding their positive emotions as well. I’m glad we don’t have to hide our feelings from our Lord and Savior–we can tell Him anything! I hope we can also share with our children and grandchildren the vital importance of having that close relationship with Jesus.
Sweet retelling of that reunion. Even a daily reunion with someone you love and see often can deliver a taste of what Jesus experiences when we take Him in spiritual embrace. Thanks for the scriptures reminders of how precious we are to Jesus who loves unconditionally 💖
We are truly blessed when we have close relationships with family members and friends and can be unafraid to openly express our love and care for them (and experience that same openness from them). I believe parents’ love for their children is the closest we can come on this Earth of knowing how much God loves us–except His love is so much more! Wishing you a blessed week.
What a sweet picture of your granddaughter running into your arms. I could see the joy on her face when you called to her. And how great the joy of the Lord when we run into His arms too. Thank you for this beautiful reminder of God’s love for us!
I love your word picture, LuAnn–just to think that God is joyful when we run to Him! And He, too, is waiting to wrap His loving arms around us. Thank you for adding sunshine to my day. Blessings!
Joy is a gift from God. He gives us this reassurance despite what our situation entails. To know the hope that our Lord gives us produces joy in our hearts. And I can identify with you about how wonderful it was to have your granddaughter jump into your arms!
Although sometimes doubt tries to creep in, I agree, Barbara, that God is with us in every situation. He is there–we just need to reach out to Him. Before I became a grandmother, I thought all those “old” folks who were so over-enthusiastic about their grandchildren were a little silly–well, now I’m right there with them! Wishing you a blessed day, my friend. Stay warm and safe. We still have plenty of ice here and I noticed you were getting some snow on your side of the world, too.
Grandchildren are such a special gift. There’s no feeling in the world like having their little arms around me. It is so hard to imagine a deeper love, yet the love of Jesus IS deeper.
You expressed it so well, Terri! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We are so blessed!
May our hearts and legs pump as we run to our savior.
Nancy, I love that thought and I hope we will! Wishing you continued blessings on the journey.
Katherine, as a grandmother, I identified with your joy over a grandchild running to see you. Thank you for reminding us of the joy in heaven that we will experience one day. I long to see my parents again and know it will be a time of great joy, second only to seeing our Savior face to face. Thank you.
Like you, Jeannie, I look forward to seeing and being with our Savior and those loved ones who got there first. Meanwhile, we’ll keep on enjoying the blessing of our grandchildren!
I’m a grandparent too. Love that picture of the joy of a child running into my arms. I appreciate this thought as well, “It isn’t just our initial decision to accept the gift of His salvation—His death on the cross for our sins—it is our daily journey with Him that also brings Him joy.” Thank you for that analogy. It just was such a lovely image in my mind and heart.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Sylvia. We are so blessed by our Savior’s love. It thrills me to know that sometimes I bring joy to my Savior, but breaks my heart to know that, at times, I bring Him great sorrow. I pray we can bring Him joy in service to Him. He shows us the path, but we must choose to follow. Peace and blessings!
I love the picture of your granddaughter’s joy and yours as she ran to you, and your reminder of God’s joy in us. Thank you!
I think grandchildren are God’s gift to us for surviving parenthood! All kidding aside, they are such a blessing and have brought meaning and purpose to my life since retirement and the loss of my spouse. I’m so thankful for God’s great love for us and that He finds joy in our love and obedience. Blessings, my friend.
Lovely analogy. I could picture the whole scene in both scenarios. Thank you.
Thank you, Jennifer. We are so blessed that our Father created us in His image that we could experience love and joy and a multitude of other blessings. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
While I don’t think Bubba’s gleeful shaking and incessant wagging of his tail, or Magic’s braying as he comes running to the gate to greet me can compare; your thoughts of what it’s going to be like to meet our Savior and Lord face-to-face. Oh, what a joyous day that is going to be my friend. And to see all our loved ones who are in Christ and await to greet us on that day. I’m overwhelmed with joyous anticipation. Thank you Ms. Katherine, for warming my day with God’s love ma’am.
When God created dogs, He gifted them with the ability to love unconditionally and to not be shy about expressing that love. I think we can learn a lot from our dogs. Like you, my friend, I look forward, with joyous anticipation, to meeting our Savior and reuniting with our loved ones again. Thank you for sharing joy, J.D.
Beautiful post 😍 I could vividly see my grandchildren as they come through my door and when they tell me they love me. I’m missing them today. They’ll return tomorrow after spending a week at Disney World. I enjoyed reading it immensely!!! Thank you!
Disney World is one of my most favorite vacation spots. I’m so glad your grandchildren have the chance to experience that joyful place. Aren’t we richly blessed to experience the joy of grandchildren? Thank you for stopping by my blog and sharing a burst of joy with me.
What a beautiful reminder that it is not just our initial salvation, but our daily coming to God and journeying with Him that brings Him joy! Wonderful post!
Thank you, Jenni! We are so blessed by our Father’s love and faithfulness. To think that He finds joy in us is amazing. Wishing you continued blessed on your journey with Him.
I felt joy reading this! Thanks so much, Katherine!
Thank you, Debbie. I’m so glad I could share some joy. Often, it seems that the only news is bad news. I’m thankful that our Father gifted us with the capacity to experience joy and with the motivation to share it (which I think we all need to try to do more of). Wishing you peace, joy, and blessings!
Your description of your granddaughter made me smile, Katherine. I felt like I was there. I, too, long for the reunion in heaven. But I love your reminder of the sweetness and joy we have spending every day on earth with Christ. Blessings to you!
Annie, I’m so thankful and grateful for the blessing God gave me through grandchildren. And they live close enough so I see them several times a week. I’m able to see them grow–that is a special blessing, especially the last two years of personal loss and the isolation caused by the pandemic. Each day is a gift, but our greatest gift awaits when we have the joy of meeting our Savior face-to-face and reuniting with loved ones in Heaven. Wishing you a blessed week!