For many godly Christian parents, this proverb has not proven true as their adult children have chosen a different spiritual path than that in which they were raised. Some adult children have kept a Christian faith but rejected attending church on any regular basis while others have walked away from both, yet keeping the values of goodness, kindness and generosity. Though they had a Christian upbringing yet chose a different way, their children will not receive the same background of Sunday school and exposure to the Scriptures. This poses a challenge as grandparents to know how to give their grandchildren an opportunity to know God’s wonderful love for them revealed in Jesus.
I asked some grandparents how they endeavor to be a godly influence upon their grandchildren and here are snippets of their responses:
In our time together we try to model grace and forgiveness, transparency and have spiritual conversations about everyday things
Having sleepovers and reading from “Grandma’s Gospel” Bible storybook, rubbing their backs while singing spiritual songs; praying with them at mealtimes and bedtimes and praying for them – constantly!
We were able to take our grandchild to our church family camp. I deliberately pay attention to Christian music and share the ones I think they will like. I’ve sent Christian magazines and books to them and the parents have not minded. I ask them how I can pray for them, and I ask them to pray for me too. I plan to put together a special notebook for the grandchildren to write the ways that they see “God Things” and what Gramma can learn from them.
We seek to show unconditional love and provide them a healthy environment when they are with us. The bumps, the bruises and the sibling rivalry provide us with plenty of opportunity to mentor grace and confidence in a faithful God.
We pray holding hands before we eat a meal; on sleepovers we enjoy a few minutes of praying together before going to bed each night. For the younger ones we try to pick a book that speaks about faith in God. All simple but powerful.
It is difficult since we do not live near our grandchildren, but we still keep praying for them and model Christian living when we are with them. If questions arise, we try to answer them in such a way that does not offend the parents.
The best conversations happen while just being together and being attentive to the child’s conversation to include God’s heart for them in their questions about life and the world.
As we enjoy playing outside, I can introduce them to the wonderful God who has given us such a marvellous Created world to explore and experience and to share the wonderful truth that that same Creator God who loves His Creation also loves and watches over them too.
We paid for the girls to go to Gull Lake Camp and took them to Family camp along with their mom. We have a subscription to Club House Magazine through Focus on the Family and watch videos from Right Now Media. We always pray for their spiritual walk.
I brought them to Church and Sunday School when they were very young, they came to the special Christmas events and they still would come if they stayed overnight on a Saturday. They know that they can count on me to pray for their safety in their travels. I like to think that my actions, nature and lifestyle speak to them of the value of walking with God.
My grandson has twice been in rehab for alcohol and drugs. This last time he started corresponding by sending the AA notes. I’ve written back and shared some scriptures with him as well as reassuring him of my love and concern and pride in him because he has been clean now for about seven months. I send him family emails and sent him family photos and stories, so he has some connection to this family. I also sent him Good News for Modern Man, which he seemed glad to get. Pray for him lots and let him know I am doing so. He seems appreciative.
In every response, I see the deep love that these grandparents have for their grandchildren and prayer was a major theme in every response. Though we may not be able to overtly preach to our grandchildren the good news of Jesus and his atoning act of sacrifice out of love for us, never doubt that you are a spiritual influence and God will use you through the simple and the profound to draw God’s beloved children to Him.
You are invited to join us for a webinar series to explore “The Art of Grandparenting”, led by Sandi Smoker.
Sandi was birthed into the world of grandparenting in 2010 which in the last decade grew to include 7 grandchildren. Over this same decade, Sandi entered into graduate studies with Regent College, working toward an MA in Theological Studies.
As she considered a topic for her final project she began to wonder what God had in mind for the grandparent/grandchild relationship, and she began seeking out scholars who thought deeply on the topic. To her surprise, Sandi walked into the land of fairy tales – George MacDonald’s fairy stories to be exact. MacDonald was a 19th century Scottish poet, novelist, fantasy-creator, and pastor who inspired writers such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, and Madeleine L’Engle.
She discovered that MacDonald’s character, the divine grandmother, resonated with the invitation she felt drawn to; that of mirroring God’s tender grandparenting heart to her grandchildren. This led to the completion of her degree with an integrated project entitled, the Art and Theology of Grandparenting.
This project will be the foundation of our 3-week webinar series which begins on Saturday, January 30th at 10am for 2 hours, continuing on February 13th, and February 27th.
You are invited to join us – using story, conversation, and expression – as we explore first-hand, the experiences, learnings and wisdom of grandparenting. Together we will consider the legacy that is ours to offer all grandchildren born of love and blood.
