Wise Grandparents Are Builders 🔨  📐

By Beth Sheldon

01/31/23 GrandGram #4

Abba Father,

Fashion within us as grandparents Your enterprising wisdom that takes the tools You’ve placed in our hands and builds the rising generations of our grandchildren with Your intelligence and insight into their purpose and destiny, so they, too, will be builders in their generation and the ones yet to arise. 

“Wise people are builders — they build families, businesses, communities. And through intelligence and insight their enterprises are established and endure.”

Proverbs 24:3 TPT

enterprise: noun

1. a project or undertaking that is especially difficult, complicated, or risky
2. a systematic purposeful activity
3. readiness to engage in daring or difficult action : INITIATIVE
4. boldness or readiness in undertaking; adventurous spirit; ingenuity.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me (every Spirit-filled grandparent), because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They (the rising generation of our grandchildren) will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

Isaiah 61:1-4 NIV

“Builders”

by Beth Sheldon

Your arrival here heralded 
Something brand new
Imago Dei born
For such a time as this

Your breaking out
Of the womb
Birthed a brand new room 
Of possibility here

How would I enter 
Your space?
That place where
Soft clay and new day meet?

What tools might I bring
To the building and sculpting
Of greater things
Bearing your unique name?

How might my words
And their wonder of you
Create a view
For you to see, too?

How will I build?
What foundations lay
By what I say
As you rise?

What will I risk? 
What plumb line use
So you see in my eyes
You are “very good?”

God’s decree is
Upon your blueprint 
His truth the table flips
On lies that fracture

My tools create
Pleasant pools for you
Where waters still
And rest revives

Where love forms
Shelter for your heart
Nails you to
A higher view of Him, of you

I excavated 
Before you came
I dug the dirt 
You’ll tower above 

Didn’t always get it right
The site held promise
Grew my readiness
To embrace you now

I have stories to tell
Tools to spare you
Grief and toil
Give you rest in my good soil

How many stories 
Will rise from you
Preparing a higher view
For generations yet unborn?

My ceiling is your floor
My ground gained, your door
I can’t afford to doubt the view
I gift to you

My insight into
Your grand design
Is sourced in Wisdom
Higher than mine

The Architect 
And Builder, too
Empowers me
To empower you

What He builds
In mystery
He gives me faith for
Eyes to see

If I partner
Purposefully 
Take these tools
God gave to me

To build you up
My heart expands 
Grateful for
The Master hands

Crafting legacy enduring
For future builders
Hope securing
Storied by His grace

Yes! Ancient ruins
You’ll rebuild
Ashes you’ll replace
With beauty and praise

As you, the glory generation 
Rebuild horizons 
Of ruined cities
Long forgotten