Kid’s are Smart- they know what real relationships are about!
If you were to ask yourself- Do your Grandkids think you know them? What would your response be?
Kids are not dumb. They can see right through your facade, and they know when they are truly being loved and cared for.
They know if you are faking it. Grandparents are to be a testimony to the little ones in the way they live out life, marriage, work, and faithfulness to God.
The reward for grandparents, is then, to see their children and grandchildren walking with the Lord God.
My point is, it was hard for you raising kids. It’s harder for the this generation, and will be harder for the next. Maybe you never had your parents there to help you. To be there at the table breaking bread, to read a story to the kids to calm them, to make that birthday cake. If you never had parents being actively involved with your own kids, you most likely have never had a role model and maybe you don’t know what the blazes you doing or suppose to be doing?
Guess what? It’s time to break that cycle and you have been called to do it.
No more excuses.
Satan wants you to think you have nothing to offer, because he knows, that with your help, active encouragement, and prayer, YOUR kids will have a easier time raising our their children.
You have so much to offer, and you need to know that. Satan has stepped up his game. Technology has brought a lot of good AND a lot of bad to us. The world is getting worse not better. It will never get better. Just more evil. Your kids have a bigger job raising arrows that will go in the right direction then you did.
Not to be-little your era, but it’s getting harder out here! We need your example of Jesus. We need you to graduate from being our parent to being a grand-parent. We need your attention. Your grand babies need you. Yes, some of you have jobs still, because of financial reasons. But a lot of you, do not have regular nine to five jobs anymore. A lot of you are still working because you are bored and don’t know what you would do if you didn’t work.
And what are you doing with yourselves? Are you ACTUALLY supporting your kids raising their kids?
What if your kids homeschool?
Two words for that. BIG JOB. I should know. I do homeschool. And to those grandparents who have children that homeschool your grand kids, you have a much bigger opportunity to be with and know your grand kids. They have so much more time then a child in traditional school to learn from you and to be molded by your wisdom.
Our lives are short. And you of all people should know that by now. Are you sharing the rest of your life with your kids or have you just checked out?
Are you thinking about what you can do to help save your grand kids souls? Or are you thinking about the next plane your going to take and if there is a new picture you can whip out on someone? You need and must ask yourself these questions.
Your kids need your support. If you have home educated, they need your “been there and done that” advice. They need grandma and grandpa to help pick up when the load is too heavy. They need to know why they do what they do. They need to know there is light at the end of the tunnel and that little Johnny will get potty trained some day. Sometimes, your grown child needs you to tell them you love them and that they are doing a great job as a parent. This world beats us intentional Christian parents up. When you home school, you are judged by everyone, including some siblings sometimes. We need to be encouraged to keep being purposeful.
Sometimes, your adult children need to be told they themselves are in sin or need to change their approach in parenting (just don’t do it in front of their kids- Matthew 18). Realize though, that if you don’t have a good relationship with your child, you probably need to work on that first. The point is, you need to be involved, have relationship with your adult children and grandchildren. When you exhort your children, do it with grace, remembering how hard it was for you when you were a parent, now imagine that plus added temptations for unbiblical parenting… added temptations for increase selfishness.
You as grandparents, really have a big job that a lot of you don’t realize. It’s time to ask some soul probing questions and find out, what you really think about your grand kids? What do you think your job should be? What does the Bible say about this?
Proverbs 17:6 Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged. Parents are the pride of their children.
Are your children your pride?
Do not ever let your heart and hands retire from people. And your own blood should be the starting point. Not the nursing home down the street, not your church, not your homeless shelter. These are all important things, not to belittle them, but your family, should be your main focus! You have an amazing opportunity to be an example to young impressionable minds without feeling the stress and exhaustion of having children full time like you once have had. Your kids have a massive job to do 24 hours a day. If you think for one moment you can or should take a back seat and watch from a distance because you don’t want to get your hands dirty, your wrong. Maybe you are wondering if your kids want you there more? How about picking up the phone and asking? How about taking your son or daughter to lunch and asking them their thoughts and feelings about you being more involved and what you can do to help them succeed with the next generation, helping them carry on the legacy of Jesus to the next line.
“Share with them your heart for helping, but let them tell you what will help. They may not do everything the way you did when you were raising kids. In fact, they may not do anything like you did. This may be refining for you. Refining in patience (as you watch them make your same mistakes or even mistakes you didn’t make) or refining in conviction (seeing the reality of what you didn’t do, what maybe you should have done). This is God’s design for families. He is not concerned with making us happy and puffing up our pride. He is concerned with making us all holy.” ~ Angie
We young parents today need you more then ever, and you grandparents aren’t there more then ever.
Your grand kids are not just a babysitting job. They are the future.
Rethink how you are spending the golden years. Don’t fall into the trap of retiring from your family. The one God gave you. God is slowing you down for a reason.
Youth is the time to get instruction
Middle age is the time to use it
And old age is the time to pass it on.
Make your grand kids cry. Make them sob. Make them want to celebrate your life, and have memories of you that make them smile. Make them wish you were there. Let them remember your love, time, and the servant’s heart that God put in you ~ that you inspired in them.
If you don’t have grand kids and won’t ever have them, or want more? Go adopt a family. Don’t ever stop until your dying breath takes life away, don’t ever stop being Jesus’s hands and feet to your grand kids and kids in whatever form you can manage. If it’s all you can do to breath prayer, let it be.
Psalm 145:4
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power
So what is your first step: Go back through these articles~ Get real with yourself~ Ask yourself these hard heart questions~ How much has this self indulgent culture impacted your view of yourself as a parent and grandparent? Look up the verses and study the Word of God. Do it right now (cause Satan doesn’t want you too and you don’t want to do what he wants!)
Alice Behnke
