Grandpause:

“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”  Dt. 4:9

“Our strategic calling as grandparents requires that we stay connected, emotionally engaged, and personally involved in our children’s and grandchildren’s lives.” – Tim & Darcy Kimmell

For four years Jim and Gwen participated in our GrandCamp in Colorado with their four grandchildren. When Jim’s health made it difficult for him to cope with the altitude, undeterred they began planning for their own special “Cousins’ GrandCamp”. They were determined to continue what they considered to be a rich tradition that was having a positive impact on their grandchildren, who are now all teenagers.

They prayed that God would truly use what they had learned from previous GrandCamp experiences to remind their grandchildren about God’s grace and truth, prepare them for the challenges ahead, and equip them to live as wholehearted followers of Christ. They are currently planning their fourth annual Cousins GrandCamp filled with morning to evening activity, all purposefully orchestrated to maximize their time together. And the grandkids can’t wait. It’s one of the highlights of their year every year.

Why would grandparents go to such lengths to plan such an involved event? 

Because Jim and Gwen take seriously their Lord’s command to teach their grandchildren the truth about who God is and what He has done, and they have chosen to do it with the utmost intentionality. They are committed to excellence as grandparents.

Now before we get too far down this path, let’s be perfectly clear about one thing. You don’t have to be perfect to be an excellent grandparent. Doing week-long camps like Jim and Gwen doesn’t make you a better grandparent. Excellent grandparents are just ordinary people extraordinarily intentional about loving their grandchildren with the same excellent love that Christ shows us. They understand the urgency of this task in the face of an Enemy determined to steal our children’s hearts and minds.

Excellent grandparents are more than good grandparents. They are proactive grandparents – who like the apostle Paul are committed to finishing well so that their grandchildren might live well.

If you should be interested in doing a Cousin’s Camp-type adventure with your grandkids like Jim and Gwen do each year, let me know. We are currently developing a special resource to provide tools to help grandparents do it without reinventing the wheel themselves. You might be surprised how effectively you could produce a similar event with your grandchildren. I’d like to know if there are grandparents interested in such a resource tool. And share the idea with other grandparents you know.

If doing a GrandCamp or Cousins’ Camp is not your thing, find your own way of being an excellent grandparent. Just remember that this is no time to look for an easy way out. Excellent grandparents are connected grandparents wholeheartedly committed to leaving a legacy that matters.

I’d like to hear from you about some of the proactive kinds of things you do with your grandchildren.