There is Hope

There is Hope by Betty Fritz 

The Bible tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)  With all the recent graduations, we need to be praying for our young people. So many of them have no idea what they want to pursue as a career or have no plans for the future other than to “hang out.”  We need to reach out to them in the name of Jesus and show them the promise of a better life in Him. They are the future leaders of our country and it is so important right now that our country turns back to God. I pray He will bless our young people.

I was so encouraged over the past weekend, when Jakub, my oldest grandson, who is 12, came to visit. Whenever he comes, he spends time with the children who live across the street: a boy who is 10 and his sister who is 12. It was Saturday evening and it was getting late, so I called for Jakub to come inside. When he didn’t come right away, I stepped outside and heard one of the children crying. I asked if she was okay and her brother said, “She was just thinking about our grandma that died, and was really sad.”  Jakub asked if he could stay with them just a few more minutes, so I said, “Ok, just don’t be too long.”

When he came inside, his mom called and I overheard him telling her what had happened. The children’s dog had recently been sprayed by a skunk and it had injured the dog’s one eye. Being a Christian, he had suggested that they pray for the dog. The boy said nobody in their family ever really prayed. The girl had prayed when her grandma was sick and she had died so she was really mad at God for taking her grandma. That was why she’d been crying. My grandson assured her that God loved her and He was bigger than any skunk or anything. After sharing with her how God had worked in his own life, he told her to talk to God and he was sure the dog’s eye would get better. (It was at that point, that I had called him to come inside…. So glad now that I gave them a few more minutes.)

Later, he told me he had felt like he had to convince her to tell God exactly how she felt and that he and her brother would not judge her. She did talk to God and asked Him to let her dog’s eye be okay. “After she prayed,” Jakub said, ” the dog began to blink it’s eye and even opened it for a second.”

I told Jakub how proud I was of him and the way he’d handled the situation. “I’m sure Jesus is very happy and proud of you too.”

He said he felt like he should invite them to church the next day. “Maw Maw,” he said “we could get a whole new family added to the church. I don’t think God would have a problem with that!”

They didn’t go to church with him….but by then, the dog’s eye seemed to be fine.

Through my grandma tears, I thanked God for Jakub, who has always been enthusiastic about going to church. In a time when we all worry about our kids and what they’re doing when out of our sight, it was so refreshing to know he was busy sharing God’s love with his friends. I’m sure there are many other young people like him who are doing the same. Let’s remember to keep them all in our prayers. As long as anyone, young or old, is spreading the news of Jesus, there is HOPE!

My name is Betty Fritz. I was born and raised in Texas but have resided in Elkhart, Indiana for the last 25 years. My husband is a Hoosier so that’s how we wound up here. We have two daughters and a son plus 6 grand kids…..3 boys and 3 girls.

I retired last year after working for 24 years at Elkhart Child Development Center. I’ve been writing since a teenager and have taken several writing courses. I enjoy writing short stories. I wrote a book of poems, RHYMES OF THE TIMES, which was published a few years ago. I have written countless songs, a few for which demo recordings have been made. Recently I’ve been writing blogs..most of them about my faith and things the Lord has taught me in my Christian life over the last 51 years. My inspiration comes from my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and my desire to see that my grand children grow up in a Christian nation. My goal is to bring glory to Him and help others to see that there is POWER in the name of JESUS!