“You know what the great thing about babies is? They are like little bundles of hope. Like the future in a basket.”
- Lish McBride
We spent the last five days in New York with our son, daughter-in-love and 3-month-old grandson. Looking at his little face, I saw joyful hope. Hope in a brighter future. Hope that the seeds we planted in our son will flourish in his son. Hope that life still holds promise in spite of all the bad news we get bombarded with on a daily basis. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the hope of heaven.
Lately, on my way to and from work, I have been listening to podcasts. One of my subscriptions is “Beloved and Blessed” by Kimberly Hahn. In a recent episode, she shared a conversation that she had with her husband, Dr. Scott Hahn, who is a well known author and speaker. Kimberly was talking to him about her worries regarding the kind of world that her grandkids will grow up in. I agree
with her. I have been concerned about the rotten ways of the world and what my grandson will have to face in the future. Walking through New York, we were constantly surrounded by the smell of marihuana. Over the weekend, there were six different stabbings in the New York subways. How can I not be worried? As I was pushing his stroller through the city, I was overwhelmed by this powerful sense that I had to protect this innocent baby boy.
But then, I remembered Dr. Hahn’s response to his wife: “We are not supposed to give our children and grandchildren the world. We are supposed to give them heaven.” I found this to be very profound. After all, we are in the world for a short amount of time but heaven is forever. Therefore, when I look into my grandson’s eyes, what I see is the hope of heaven. I hope that he grows up to be a man for others. I hope that he has a kind and generous heart because the most joyful people happen to be the most generous. I hope that he is caring and loving. I hope that he is meek and gentle. I hope that he is humble of heart. I hope that he has a temperate spirit that will keep him from falling into temptation. I hope that he is gifted with the virtue of diligence so that he sets the world on fire, the kind of fire that comes from within so that he leaves the world better than he found it. And I hope that his heart will be so full of spiritual treasures that it won’t fit inside his chest.
I am so grateful to God for the gift of my grandson. At first, I was concerned for his future, but now, I have turned my worries into hope. I am not going to worry about the condition of the world. My only concern will be to help my son and daughter-in-love cultivate virtues in my grandson’s heart so that he can be a channel of grace that will allow God to bring love into the world. That is how we will gift him with the hope of heaven which is far more important than gifting him the world.
I love you baby Benedict more than you will ever know. You have brought so much hope and happiness into our family. May your eyes always reflect the hope of heaven.
Copyright © 2022 Christy Romero. All rights reserved.
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