A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford
My sweet little granddaughter Tiffani sat beside me in her car seat, as we were coming home from a doctor’s appointment. She was fascinated watching the busy traffic on 291. Suddenly she squealed, “There’s ’Donalds! I find it!” Then she leaned over to me with a confiding smile. “Grampa has money.”
She was right. Grampa certainly did have enough money to buy his dear little Tiffani a Happy Meal at McDonald’s, and certainly would be delighted to spend it on her. I suspect that other times, when she’d “found ’Donalds,” her parents really hadn’t always the time or the money for a trip through the drive-through. But obviously, they’d done so enough times that Tiffani knew exactly what the golden arches meant.
And Grampa did “have money,” because he had a faithful and loving Heavenly Father who cares for His children so much He promises to meet their every need.
Why do I say that? Because Jesus said it. He told this story in Matthew 7:9-11(nlt):
“You parents: if your children ask for a loaf of bread,
do you give them a stone instead?
Or if they ask for a fish,
do you give them a snake?
Of course not!
If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father
give good gifts to those who ask Him!
Tiffani’s grandfather had walked with God all his long life. His Heavenly Father had again and again answered his prayers about every aspect of his ministry and his family. So yes, certainly Tiffani’s “Grampa” had money to buy her a Happy Meal from McDonalds. God’s love and care are so much greater than what any of us could give our families, no matter how much we love them.
But there’s another reason, infinitely deeper, as to why God gives us pitifully poor people His extravagant loving care. Romans 8:32(nlt) says,
Since God did not spare even His own Son
but gave Him up for us all,
Won’t God, who gave us Christ,
also give us everything else?
God gave His precious, only Son to give us eternal life. Having given us Jesus, nothing else could compare in value to that ultimate gift. God immoderately and gladly gives us everything else we might ask for.
It’s a Handford family joke, now, of sorts. If I’m trying to persuade my dear family members to let me pick up the tab for some expenditure, I merely say, “Grampa has money,” and that settles it— well, sometimes it settles it!