Dressing to have dinner with my eldest grandson, I wanted to be all that Father wanted me to be in this 21-year-long relationship to him. I prayed: “Father, what does that look and sound like?”

Paul wrote: “Let every detail in your lives–words, actions, whatever–be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” [Colossians 3:17 The Message] What amazing guidelines ~ help me, Lord!

In explaining what Solomon meant when he wrote: “Seize life!”… he continued: “Dress festively every morning. Don’t skimp on colors or scarves. Relish life with the spouse [and in this case, my grandson] you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God’s gift.” [Ecclesiastes 9:7-8 The Message]

Moving mentally in the style of these passages, we can experience the various ‘colors’ of relationship, listen intently to the words they want to share, and take in the pleasant aroma of these moments that are there just for our enjoyment. Solomon encourages: “God takes pleasure in your pleasure!” [9:7] Hasn’t He, in fact, given us the gift of relationships to enjoy?

At the end of the day, I ask: Did I seize these moments as God intended? That is, did I live them out with my grandson’s needs in mind? Were my choice of words truly the expression of love he needed?

Many times our words and actions are chosen as if this immediate moment and its emotions are all there is ~ in particular…how it serves our own needs. True, life here on earth has its precious moments, endearing relationships, and joyous occasions that please. Yet Paul urged us that all words and actions should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus.

On the heels of this special evening, I am “thanking God the Father every step of the way” [3:17] for the gift of seizing life with this fine grandson.