“A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.” Prov. 13:22

In Jim Stovall’s novel,The Ultimate Gift, Red Stevens realizes at the end of his life that he made some poor decisions about how he used his wealth with his family. “One of the biggest mistakes I ever made was when I gave everyone in our family everything that they thought they ever wanted… I spent many years trying to achieve happiness or buy it for friends and family… In trying to make up for all the times I wasn’t there, I gave them all materials things. In doing so, I robbed them of everything that makes life wonderful.”

Most grandparents love giving gifts to their grandchildren. I know Diane and I certainly do. However, “kingdom-minded” grandparents know the difference between giving good gifts and being caught up in the foolish practice of trying to buy happiness for our grandchildren by giving them whatever they want. Kingdom grandparents love their grandchildren so deeply that they are intentional about not doing anything to rob them of Life with a capital “L”—the life a loving and wise God intended for them to have; a life rooted in the truth about who God is, what He has done, and who they are as treasured image-bearers of their Creator. As a grandparent, contrary to some of the t-shirts out there, my role is not to spoil my grandchildren, but to show them a life that is truly full and rich as God intended it to be.

There are gifts we can give our grandchildren that are far more valuable than material gifts. Unfortunately, we sometimes act as though we don’t believe that. What gifts are you giving your grandchildren that will help them find the “ultimate gift”? Your grandchildren deserve a better inheritance than simply getting whatever they want. So, what does such an inheritance look like? In the next few weeks we’ll explore some possibilities. In the meantime, I encourage you to read or watch “The Ultimate Gift”.

GRANDPAUSE: Your children and grandchildren will not remember you by the material things you gave to them, but by the inheritance of abundant life and genuine love you left with them.