She Found Gold!

A conversation with one of our granddaughters made a big impression on us. She found wisdom far beyond her years.

A few evenings ago, my wife and I called the home of one of our grown children. Their middle child, Tessie (not her real name) answered the phone. She is one of our 14 grandchildren and had recently caused us some serious unease.

Anxiety, the price of love

Most parents go through the years of child rearing with some anxiety. Can we get them through those early years without some major accident or problem? Will they fall and seriously hurt themselves? I’ve heard some say, it is a miracle that most little boys survive to reach adulthood, considering all their energy and activities.

Accidents, diseases, bad influences could be lurking somewhere ahead, and now even the terrible possibility that they could be kidnapped is ever present to keep Mom and Dad on the edge.

We feel like if we can just get them into adulthood, we’ll be able to breathe a sigh of relief, stop worrying about them and get on with our personal life.

But if you have grown children, you have found it doesn’t normally work that way. We find our worries for them continue on past their teen years into adulthood.

Then they have children of their own! And we have the added concern for our sweet little grandkids! What difficulties will they face? In some ways, it starts all over again. But that is the price of love for someone.

The backstory

A couple of weeks earlier, Tessie had to come home from school. She had a severe pain in the upper part of her back that extended down into her arm. When our daughter examined her, she found what looked like a cyst plus a sore that could have been some kind of bug bite.

Off to see the doctor! The doctor wasn’t sure what the problem was, but put her on antibiotics to see if that would help. A couple of days later there was no lasting improvement. There was still pain plus a fever to go with it.

The family also sought God’s help through the prayers of their pastor and many in their local congregation. Rest, wait and pray seemed to be a logical step.

Thankful!

Back to that call. When Tessie picked up the phone, we asked how she was doing. She enthusiastically answered that she was doing great! Though she was still a little weak, she had gone to Sabbath services the day before.

She told us how special and loved she felt because so many brethren talked to her and asked how she was doing. She was so impressed that they knew about her health problem—they had prayed and cared about her, a little 11-year-old!

Then she went on to tell us how thankful she was to be feeling better. She said it made her realize how much she had to be thankful for, because she knew there were many others who were sick with much more serious problems, some who might not even survive.

Spiritual nuggets of gold

My wife and I looked at each other. We were pleased not only that our little granddaughter was well, but that she had learned some important things from her illness. Now that it was over, she didn’t just forget about it and move on with her life. She had reflected on the trials of others and the need to be grateful.

After writing of the salvation and incorruptible inheritance awaiting God’s servants in the resurrection, the apostle Peter wrote of the various trials we sometimes go through in our journey in this life:

“In this [the salvation] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

In spite of the pain, anxiety and discomfort that kept Tessie from school and her other normal activities for several days, she came out of it a wiser little person.

If we search for them, there are usually spiritual nuggets of gold in most of our troubles.