I recently saw a billboard that read “A good example is twice as effective as good advice.” As Cydil and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary, I wanted to take a minute and thank our families for their good examples of marriage to us! Our parents are both approaching their 40th anniversaries! Cydil’s grandparents on the Whiteford side are still happily married, as was the vanOrman side until the death of grandma van. Grandma and Grandpa Waggoner also exemplified ‘Til death do us part’ as I saw their love for each other continue to the end of their earthly lives. But today I want to especially highlight Grams and PopPop Champion (my mom’s parents).
On Friday, Grams and PopPop celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary! While most everyone else listed above had the examples of Christian families upon which to model their marriage, Grams and PopPop were first generation Christians – they STARTED the example for our family! Many times in the Old Testament, God speaks about blessing his people to the third and fourth generations, and I believe that Cydil, Ellie and I am living in that blessing. Thank you so much Grams and PopPop for the Godly example you have been in my life! It is a testament to your faithfulness that all of your children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren are following Christ and are being raised in Christian homes! God has blessed your ministry at Bethel with the 1000’s of kids you have ministered to throughout the years, but I am most thankful for your ministry to your family! Without your own examples, you became one for us!
I don’t know if Cydil and I will be blessed to live to experience another 60 anniversaries, but if we do, my prayer is that we will continue to see God’s blessing poured out on our 3rd and 4th generation!
Maybe some of you reading this don’t have the good examples that Cydil and I are blessed with. Let me challenge you to be the “Grams and PopPop” of your family – start the example with your generation. You grandkids will thank you!!
This picture of Grams and PopPop is from their first meeting of Elisona (right after we brought her home from Albania at the end of 2006)
1 comment:
I like the shot of Grams and PopPop and Ellie. 70 years... wow. I've told Ed I expect at least 40 years out of him. He'll be 91, which I don't think is too much to ask. :)
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