GrandGram #2, Originally Published on January 17, 2023
“But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see. Now, the “Lord” I’m referring to is the Holy Spirit, and wherever he is Lord, there is freedom. We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 TPT
“And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 AMP
I don’t know about you, but I have often, as a grandparent, underplayed my hand. By that, I mean the powerful influence Holy Spirit has graciously given me in my life to reflect the glorious image of Jesus Christ to my grandchildren. Opportunities abound for me to be growing in the ways I manifest His glory, but seeing them and seizing them, I find, requires a deepening dependence on the Lordship of the Holy Spirit operating in and through me.
So what does it mean to me to be a Glory-to-Glory Grandparent? It means a deepening level of trusting love with the Holy Spirit. It requires intentionally turning my face to look in the face of my Lord Jesus, and letting Him lift the veil so I can see. I get to partner with Him in His glorious ways of seeing and loving each one of my grandchildren. Every detail of their unique design is intimately known by Him!
I get to share in His intimate knowledge of them and His infinite wisdom and ways of reaching and teaching their hearts about His great love for them. I get to speak Kingdom realities into their destinies so they can taste and see He is good! I get to walk in this glorious freedom wherever and whenever I invite Holy Spirit to unveil these heavenly realities to me. I get to taste and see an unveiled Jesus, and then, through my reflecting of His image, my grandchildren get to taste and see the glory of Jesus’s image shining through me! WOW! WEE!
This inheritance transference happens supernaturally, because I have been faithful to share my behind the veil discovered glory with the ones I love wholeheartedly- my grandchildren!!!
My key to unlocking this glory-to-glory realm is my turning to the Lord with an open heart. What does that look like? It begins with this revelation found in 2 Corinthians 3:18. First, it says “We can all draw close to Him with the veil removed from our faces. No grandparent is left out or left behind. It is so simple, yet profound. We all get to draw close with the veil removed from our faces. We also get to choose to create an undistracted place and behold His face by turning. This verse says, “But the moment one turns to the Lord with an open heart, the veil is lifted and they see.” The very moment I turn to Him to see Him and hear what He wants to say to me, it happens. WHENEVER I do that, there is freedom. Freedom to receive His insights and wisdom and revelation. Freedom to allow His Lordship to direct my understanding into the realm of my grandparenting journey. I can ask Him ANYTHING!
So many times I have settled into the groove of trying to “figure it out,” this being a better grandparent thing, in my own strength. I don’t always access the inheritance I’ve been freely given in the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the Lordship of Holy Spirit in my life. Jesus hasn’t always been my first go-to for wisdom for loving my grandchildren. Often I have run to the inferior wisdom of my veiled face. That place where I try hard to love and understand them outside of the insight Holy Spirit is so willing to freely give me where He is invited into Lordship of the relationship I share with each one of my grandchildren.
This is my desire. His Lordship in every relationship. Embracing His way of seeing them and reflecting the bright glory of Jesus to them. I get to be a mirror they look into to see Jesus! I get to reflect His image and beautiful ways of loving them because I know He knows them infinitely better than I do!
So, getting to the word gumption. One of the definitions I discovered in Merriam -Webster online dictionary of gumption is “courageous initiative.” Other synonyms for gumption include “wisdom, discretion, foresight.” I want the glorious gumption to turn to Jesus EVERY TIME I need veils removed! Every time I need wisdom or discretion or foresight to see my grandchildren through His eyes, I am asking Him for the courageous initiative to turn to Him. His promise is that every time I do turn to Him with an open heart, the veil is lifted and I see Jesus doing what only He can do. Unveil more of Himself to me so I can display His glory even more, from one increasing level of glory to another. I am being progressively transformed into His image from one degree of glory to even more glory by His Spirit! His glory has a weightiness and brightness to it that can’t help but capture our grandchildren’s attentions and hearts.
I have seen our grandchildren arise and shine as His light pierces through the defenses they try to hide behind.
For me, His glory has shown up in the beauty of my bright smile on a discouraged grandchild. I have seen His glory shining through me transform their downcast countenance and open doors to dialog that flows out through me that affirms their worth and dignity. I have experienced Holy Spirit download wisdom to me when I bravely turn to Him for the help I need and eyes to see. He helps me discern what to say and helps them discover their beauty and significance in our family and in the world they are called to influence with His love. I have seen our grandchildren arise and shine as His light pierces through the defenses they try to hide behind. He makes himself delicious and irresistible! No one can resist a love like His! He just needs us to be the grandparents who are willing to get the gumption to go deeper with Him so we can have the gumption to shine with His glory on them!
In my recent experience, I’m discovering more and more that the getting of that gumption comes from the baptism of boldness the indwelling of His Holy Spirit gives us. We were never asked to figure out how to love our grandchildren apart from His indwelling presence. We get to turn to the Holy Spirit’s Lordship for everything we need to shine gloriously for Him in our grandchildren’s lives. He imparts the courageous initiative to turn to Jesus and then to take the glorious transfiguration received from His presence into our relationships with our grandchildren.
So, let’s make an active decision to keep turning to the Lord every time we need the veil removed from our eyes. Our grandchildren will thank us for it, for they will be the ones basking in the benefits of His glory shining through us!
Here is His decree over us and His promise to us and to our children and our
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. “Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms” (Isaiah 60:1-4 NASB1995).