“Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.”
PSALM 71:18
What a great verse and what a great mission! Grandparents are called to proclaim God’s mighty miracles to the next generations – to speak life into their precious hearts.
We have a responsibility to gently infuse every activity…every conversation…every e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g with TRUTH about God’s love, his wisdom, and the stories of his mighty miracles.
3 Reasons our grandkids need us to stay mindful of our mission:
Reason #1: Their parents are busy…and tired
Remember what it was like raising little ones? It’s like throwing a handful of marbles in the air and trying to catch all of them before they hit the ground . . . frantic and exhausting. Even the best parents need reinforcements and what better reinforcements than grandpa and grandma!
We collapse in our chairs after just a day with the grandkids (What a great way to get exhausted, by the way!) so we need to stay mindful of how tiring it is to live life with those little buggers on a the daily.
Their parents need time to recharge and we have the privilege of promoting time for renewal.
Occupying our grandkids for even an hour is a blessing to their parents. It can be a sleepover, lunch at Chick-fil-a, or a long-distance chat (using video apps or online collaborative games). Regardless of what it looks like for your family, being a pinch runner now and then gives the parents of our grandkids a chance to take a breath and it gives us valuable time to make a positive impact.
Reason #2: We love their parents
Did anyone ever question or even condem your parenting decisions? I know we did – and it’s not a wonderful feeling.
Let’s be honest, we’ll never agree with every parenting decision our kids make, but we love them, we want the best for them, and we know they want the best for our grandkids…even if we disagree about what “the best” looks like.
Speaking positively about our kids, to their kids, is a gift that grandparents can give like no one else.
“Your mommy loves you so much!”
“Your daddy takes such good care of you!”
“Isn’t it nice to have a mom who makes dinner for you?”
“Wow, your dad taught you to be a good fisherman!”
It’s impossible to quantify the positive impact of affirming our kids…to their kids.
Reason #3: Decades of life have given us wisdom to share
Feeling discouraged about those wrinkles? It’s important to appreciate what they represent.
Standing at my bathroom sink, with 5-year-old Kaycee sitting on the counter, I pop open a prescription bottle and take my daily dose. “What’s that for, grandma?”
Using humor to spare her the details, “to keep me from getting old.”
“But you’re already old.”
😅 Yes, sweet girl. Yes, I am.
Job 12:12 tells us that wisdom is found in old age and that long life brings understanding.
Proverbs 16:31 tells us that “gray hair is a crown of splendor.”
My crown of splendor is covered with L’Oreal Medium Brown, but my heart is full of wisdom that only decades of life can teach. Neglecting to pass that wisdom along – at just the right times and in just the right situations – is like throwing the cake away before singing Happy Birthday.
It’s a cruel world and it’s easy to get discouraged, to feel irrelevant and to forget the beautiful potential we have to empower the next generation with a passion for Jesus.
Let’s not stop reminding each other.
KRISTI and husband Tim were married in 1988 and live in Iowa, where they love doing life with their three sons, three daughters-in-law, six grandkids…and two very spoiled dogs. She is a teacher and instructional coach by day and a “Laughing Grandma” by night, writing to inspire grandmas to laugh without fear of the future as they plant the joy of Jesus in the hearts of their families (Proverbs 31:25). Kristi is the author of The BeforeBooks for children and Your Soul To Keep, a one-year prayer workbook for parents of adults. Connect with Kristi at kristi@thelaughinggrandma.com