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Devotion 4: Grandparents
Debbie Kerr
My husband I have been blessed with the sweetest, most beautiful grandchildren on the planet,” said every grandparent everywhere! Seriously, the first time you lay your eyes on one of your grandchildren you do not even understand how your heart can stretch so far it could burst. When you talk about order in the family, grandparents play a very important role. It is our job to spoil these precious ones we did not birth, and then hand them back to mom and dad to fix – much to their dismay, I might add. I remember receiving my children back home after a stay with my parents and I always said, “It takes two good spankings to get them back to normal.” Seriously though, they came home thinking they were large and in charge! Now, mind you, I was not raised that way by those people I called Mom & Dad! They lovingly ruled a tight ship where there was no shortage of a good spanking or a lecture followed by lots of laughter and ice cream! However, somehow when that first little granddaughter was born, the strict rules went out the window and the ice cream and pony rides were aplenty. I can visualize all the grandparents reading this, smiling from ear to ear with joy and delight as they nod their heads in agreement.
What does God expect from us as grandparents? Some grandparents raise their grandchildren, and their role is back to the original plan to train up a child in the way he should go. However, for those who do not need to take on the responsibility of parenting, we still have a huge opportunity to influence and guide our grandchildren to love and obey Jesus.
My mother’s parents lived four hours away when I was growing up. My precious grandmother taught Bible clubs from her home for many years. The principal at the elementary school would remind the children at the end of the school day and several would run down the street to Mrs. Becks for a Bible lesson, plenty of hugs, and warm cookies. She told the best stories and whenever we were together I would ask her to tell me my favorite one. I was always perplexed that each story she told had the same moral at the end. It is actually a verse in the Bible, found in Numbers 32:23b, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” I never forgot that story or the moral. I remember times growing up when I would put that verse to the test. God’s Word will always accomplish what it sets out to do, and my sins were always found out, in one way or another.
Even though I only saw my grandparents a couple of times a year, they both left a very huge impact on my life. I now tell those same stories along with the moral to my grandchildren. Grandparenting is one of God’s greatest blessings, we get the best of both worlds. Enjoy the fun and games but do not forget to take advantage of every opportunity to impact their hearts and minds towards Jesus. It is their heritage.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4