Do you remember cradling your first grandchild in your arms? The overwhelming love and awe at God’s goodness, wrapped-up in a tiny blanket, is indescribable. In that moment, everything changed. Your role transformed.
When our children are born, we are the center of their world. Even though we couldn’t love our grandchildren any more if we tried, their attachment to us is not hardwired. They weren’t born listening for our voices, or searching for our eyes. We had to introduce ourselves.
It doesn’t take long to figure out why grandparents have a reputation for spoiling their grandkids with candy and gifts. We have to create a connection with them. Our secular culture gives us a free pass to spoil our grands with indulgences we might never have lavished on their parents.
So, what is our role as a Christian grandparent in the lives of our grandchildren?
Deuteronomy 4:9 lays it out very well. “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children…” (Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV)
We must watch ourselves. Don’t get me wrong. God also delights in giving His children good gifts. We must be careful not allow this to be the core of our relationship with our grandchildren. We must watch, that we remember and share.
We are instructed to teach them what God has done in our lives. God has entrusted us with leaving a spiritual legacy for our children and our grandchildren.
When times are good, we tend to forget the lessons we learned during the hard times. And yet, planting seeds of faith in fair weather will bring fruit in due season.
You are important to your grandchildren in ways you might not have realized. As a grandparent you carry a lot of weight in what you say, and in what you do. After all, in their world, moms and dads are the ultimate authority. You are their parent’s parent. When you look at your role through their eyes, you realize what a wonderfully unique position of influence you have with them. Who better to show them the ultimate loving parent, God the Father?
There is no better way to love your adult children, than to pour love and grace into their children. As our roles shift from parent to grandparent, our responsibility shifts to relationship-uplifting. While we build our relationship with our grandchildren, we have a new opportunity to uplift our children in their parenting roles. When we do, it takes our relationship to the next level with our own children as adults.
As the culture’s influence seems to grow darker by the day, you might be among those spending more time on your knees interceding for your family. Perhaps you are facing troubling circumstances or feel as though your hands are tied in the lives of your grandchildren. With so many forces coming against the family today, community has never been more important.
How do we prepare our grandchildren for the world they face as adults? How do we show them that God is faithful and good in everything, in spite of what they see and hear?
You can, through your story.
Your story can impact future generations.
God is calling the hearts of grandparents to come together, learn, lead, and leave a legacy for their families.
The Legacy Summit 2022 brings grandparents together for a time of learning, community, and worship. Renew your vision for your family with inspiration from speakers over eight different sessions. It is a time to refresh your spirit through worship and building a community with other grandparents seeking the Lord’s direction in their lives and their families’ lives.
Simulcasting to over 100 churches in the U.S.. You can find a location near you to come together with like-minded grandparents who not only love their grandchildren, but long to make a greater spiritual impact in their lives.
Learn how to leave a legacy of faith at the Legacy Summit 2022.
The post Grandparenting: Leaving a Lasting Legacy appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
When our children are born, we are the center of their world. Even though we couldn’t love our grandchildren any more if we tried, their attachment to us is not hardwired. They weren’t born listening for our voices, or searching for our eyes. We had to introduce ourselves.
It doesn’t take long to figure out why grandparents have a reputation for spoiling their grandkids with candy and gifts. We have to create a connection with them. Our secular culture gives us a free pass to spoil our grands with indulgences we might never have lavished on their parents.
Defining the Grandparent’s Role
So, what is our role as a Christian grandparent in the lives of our grandchildren?
Deuteronomy 4:9 lays it out very well. “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children…” (Deuteronomy 4:9 ESV)
We must watch ourselves. Don’t get me wrong. God also delights in giving His children good gifts. We must be careful not allow this to be the core of our relationship with our grandchildren. We must watch, that we remember and share.
We are instructed to teach them what God has done in our lives. God has entrusted us with leaving a spiritual legacy for our children and our grandchildren.
When times are good, we tend to forget the lessons we learned during the hard times. And yet, planting seeds of faith in fair weather will bring fruit in due season.
The Importance of Grandparents
You are important to your grandchildren in ways you might not have realized. As a grandparent you carry a lot of weight in what you say, and in what you do. After all, in their world, moms and dads are the ultimate authority. You are their parent’s parent. When you look at your role through their eyes, you realize what a wonderfully unique position of influence you have with them. Who better to show them the ultimate loving parent, God the Father?
There is no better way to love your adult children, than to pour love and grace into their children. As our roles shift from parent to grandparent, our responsibility shifts to relationship-uplifting. While we build our relationship with our grandchildren, we have a new opportunity to uplift our children in their parenting roles. When we do, it takes our relationship to the next level with our own children as adults.
As the culture’s influence seems to grow darker by the day, you might be among those spending more time on your knees interceding for your family. Perhaps you are facing troubling circumstances or feel as though your hands are tied in the lives of your grandchildren. With so many forces coming against the family today, community has never been more important.
Helping to Prepare Your Grandchildren
How do we prepare our grandchildren for the world they face as adults? How do we show them that God is faithful and good in everything, in spite of what they see and hear?
You can, through your story.
Your story can impact future generations.
God is calling the hearts of grandparents to come together, learn, lead, and leave a legacy for their families.
The Legacy Summit 2022 brings grandparents together for a time of learning, community, and worship. Renew your vision for your family with inspiration from speakers over eight different sessions. It is a time to refresh your spirit through worship and building a community with other grandparents seeking the Lord’s direction in their lives and their families’ lives.
Simulcasting to over 100 churches in the U.S.. You can find a location near you to come together with like-minded grandparents who not only love their grandchildren, but long to make a greater spiritual impact in their lives.
Learn how to leave a legacy of faith at the Legacy Summit 2022.
The post Grandparenting: Leaving a Lasting Legacy appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...