Henry and the Yellow Crayon

This was a previous post. I'm re-posting it here in light of Mother's Day and God's grace to Moms, children... and Grammys! The two posts below this are in honor of Mother's Day also. You may have heard of Harold and the Purple Crayon? Well, my grandson's name is Henry. I love this boy. I dearly love this boy and each of my five grandchildren so much it hurts sometimes. I wish my Grandma were here because she'd understand what I mean when I say it hurts. Anyway, Henry got hold of a yellow crayon.

Henry was at the kitchen bar coloring on paper. Then it all happened in a rush! A friend came over, another grand baby woke from her nap and their Mommy came home all in an approximate half hour time slot. At one point in all the chatter and commotion I noticed a "too quietness" from Henry, so I went to investigate. He had moved to the living room and was happily scribbling (BIG scribbles on both cushions) with his yellow crayon on our black fabric couch and cherry side tables. I knew the second he saw me come from the kitchen that he was up to something! My heart sank, but more for his sneaky actions than for my couch. I know there is a product for almost every stain.

One time several couches back I was painting my nails which I so seldom do and I was sitting on our natural cream colored wool couch. (I was suffering from a momentary lapse of good sense when I chose the couch for my manicure.) Yes! I spilled the magenta colored nail polish! After some instant reaction of rubbing the polish into the couch making it worse followed by panic I dialed 911. No, I didn't really. Instead I called a local cleaning company and told them I was willing to pay any price for something that would get this polish out before my hard working husband came home to see my most recent stupidity! I rushed to the store to buy the solvent and remembered God's grace while I was blotting out the stain.

Back to Henry and the Yellow Crayon. I simply used WD-40 and it worked wonders. Spray on. Wipe off. Spray on Wipe off. My white towel kept getting streaked with yellow as I continued until all the crayon scribbles were gone. Whew!

Henry surprised me a little bit. He surprised and disappointed me. I know all about our capability to sin, hide from sin, bat our eyes at sin, excuse it or even defend it. I'm well acquainted with all that because I live with myself. But to see it developing in my darling love of a Precious Moments blue eyed grandson or any of my "Let me tell you about my grandchildren" grandchildren is something new to me. It is new, but it is not a surprise. The surprise is how it turns my heart. It is like a mirror of myself and a wake-up call. The mirror is not new because I have three daughters, but it is more disturbing somehow with grandchildren because not only do I want what's best for them, but I want what is best for their Moms. I want my daughters to be God's and I want my grandchildren to be God's for their own sake and for my daughters' sakes. I want it to go well with my daughters and I want it to go well with my grandchildren. (Ephesians 6:1,2)

It seems the world has elevated grandchildren to some "pet" status and I see my grandchildren not as "pets" to spoil then send home, but as God's blessings with a hope and future and children I've been honored to show and tell God's Truth and love to.

That causes me to love them more deeply and pray more earnestly that they will at a very early age know God and the captivating truth that they have a sin sacrifice, a sin Atonement and a great High Priest in the Lord Jesus Christ. For crayon stain there is WD-40. But for our sin stain...

Jeremiah 2:22 "Although you wash yourself with lye And use much soap, The stain of your iniquity is before Me," declares the Lord GOD.

Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

"Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow."