Sunday Afternoon Tea - Advice to my beautiful granddaughter upon her graduation

 

There are a couple things happening that remind me that the sands of time are quickly passing.  My birthday is coming up in about a week... again.  Although that is a blessing from God.

Another blessing has been the high school graduation of my granddaughter, Elisabeth.  My firstborn grandchild is now heading for college.  Now that is something I'm still trying to fathom.  She is a lovely young woman and we are very proud of her.

My daughter asked if I had words of wisdom for Elisabeth.  She also has wonderful parents and grandparents on her father's side but I wanted something that was very Grammie-like.  Below is what I wrote:

Happy Graduation, Elisabeth!

What a year to graduate.  I’m sure 2020 will be one for the history books.  

What advice would I give you as a Grammie?  First of all, to read the Word and talk to God for only then can you stay on the journey He wants you to walk.  If nothing else, read one Psalm and one chapter of Proverbs a day.  Some of our wisest people made this a practice.

Find really good teachers you can trust.  Always find out the theology of the person who is teaching the Bible to know if they are worth your time and effort as a student.  I speak from experience!

Pray for wisdom and discernment.  We live in a culture where there is a lot of deception but God gives His people discernment to cut through the false and to find the truth.  His wisdom will go with you.  

Become a lifetime student; be curious about all kinds of things.  You can never learn all there is to know about any subject.  I still learn new techniques in cooking and baking all the time.  Although I still cannot understand math.  So I guess sometimes you can’t continue learning.  

I have read that books are God’s way of making our finite minds to become infinite.  You don’t have to love all books but find authors you enjoy and read what they have written.  Whether they write fiction or books about your favorite subjects, always keep a book nearby.  

Enjoy the gift of hospitality.  Enjoy making music.  Not everyone is meant for a concert career but good music can bless everyone.  Create art even if it isn’t perfect.  Don’t be afraid to try something new even if you aren’t good at it in the beginning.

Look for Beauty even when it is hard to see.  There are echoes of Eden all around for the person looking for them.  Life can be hard but God is good.

Remember that you are loved by an Infinite love and by Grammie and Granddad.

NOTE:  Letter and photo used with permission.