Now, Laban may have been a lousy father-in-law to Jacob, but he was a bang-up grandpa. There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in you know where, that Jacob was taking his grandkids away without Laban having a chance to shower them with kisses one more time! I understand Laban a bit because over the last week we have been hosting our son, daughter-in-law and five grandchildren in our not so huge house. Though it was pretty cramped quarters, we hated to see them leave yesterday. Because they live so far away, we make the most of every moment we have together. The kids loved going with us to the beach, the park and the community pool, but I treasure most our morning walks.

Whether it is making cookies together or lining up for the Good Humor man, each of us who are grandparents appreciate different kinds of little moments. They are precious, not because of what we are doing, but because of who we are doing them with. Jesus taught us that God is our Almighty Father in Heaven, but in some ways, God is also like a grandfather, who treasures spending small, not so mighty moments with us. I learned a little of this one recent morning walking by a pond with our grandchildren. We had stopped while I explained the difference between an Egret and a Heron who were standing on the bank. Then as I cautioned them about not getting too close to the edge, I noticed a tiny head popping up above the water about ten feet from shore. “Look a turtle!” I said excitedly. I had seen other turtles sunning themselves near there on the grass before, but they had always slipped quickly into the water on my approach. But that day to my amazement, Mr. (or Mrs.) Turtle made a beeline for our granddaughter. It eagerly climbed up out of the pond, then waddled right up to her!

Whether this was someone’s lost pet turtle or just the result of people feeding it breadcrumbs I do not know. What I suspect, is that God knew we would be walking by that spot at that exact hour and orchestrated a special event. His heart delights watching us as we pause to admire the tiniest detail of creation. He isn’t just the God of the gigantic universe; He is also the God who enjoys surprising us with small demonstrations of His goodness. Just like Laban God hunts us down, not to destroy us, but to embrace us and send us on with His blessing. Why not slow down long enough this morning to allow Him to amaze you with what He has in store for today?