Christian Grandparenting Blog

I cherish the memory of holding my oldest grandchild for the first time. Gazing into his sweet face twenty years ago, I vowed to be the best grandmother I could be.  After months of faithfully buying diapers on sale and delightfully babysitting, I wondered if I should do something more for this precious little boy.   Most grandparents long to be good.  But if you study Scripture, you will see God has a deeper vision than   being “good”. Over the twenty years, my grandmother’s role has evolved as nine more grandchildren have filled my life.  In His graciousness, the Lord faithfully led me on a progressive journey of incrementally becoming the grandparent He designed.

Goodness, the sixth characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV), is defined biblically as naturally doing good actions or a zealous activity to do good for another person’s benefit. As Christians we are called to live in a way that reflects the character of Christ and by actively doing good for others we show his love for them. When we strive to do good for our own benefit, it is not truly goodness that we possess. We are incapable of being or doing good on our own. It is the indwelling of the fruit of the Spirit that manifests itself from within our heart that the characteristic of goodness grows.

It was a typically busy day at my house. I had spent the morning playing with my grandchildren so my daughter could take her youngest for an allergy test.1 I’d made lunch for my schoolteacher husband who was home for the summer. I’d done the dishes. I was in my home office working on Sweet Selah Ministries tasks, quite happily focused on my writing. “Finally,’ I thought. ‘Now I can get down to work.” My husband popped his head in the door. “Want to go for a walk?” At that moment I wanted to finish my work. However, I knew that, long-term, going for a walk with my honey would be the greater blessing for both of us.

Who is the grandparent with whom you are most familiar? Just look in the mirror and you will see him or her! When we think of being kind, it is seldom to that grandparent. It is so much easier to show kindness to others. We may even think that being kind to ourselves is selfish and unbiblical. 

Growing up, I was always physically smaller than most kids my age. That meant I was “easy pickins” for bullies. It’s fascinating that in Junior High the leader of the “gang" who  bullied me most was actually shorter than me. But he was physically tough with a dominating personality. I was small, skinny, and rather shy – the perfect target. The kind of bullying I described here still happens, and it is a traumatic experience for any child. However, bullying today has evolved into something more sinister. Today’s bullying is more than a personal, physical encounter like I experienced in school. Social media has elevated bullying to a pervasive level of intimidation and shaming unlike anything previously known. Your grandkids might be victims of this kind of bullying. Knowing this, what can a grandparent do if their grandchild is being bullied?

Kindness is the fifth characteristic of the fruit of Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) which results when we allow the Holy Spirit to develop spiritual maturity in us. While kindness is a quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate with good deeds, it is more than a moral principle. It is a spiritual fruit that transforms our lives and the world around us. The Greek definition of kindness is “benignity, tender concern, uprightness” and is the result of kindness of heart and kindness of action. Maintaining an attitude and expressing tenderness to others is often hard and we cannot accomplish Christ-like kindness on our own power. It requires God’s Spirit working in us.

During the course of one week, I had the opportunity to twice witness father-and-son interactions that reminded me of the importance of godly men. Children need committed fathers who are willing to devote themselves to their children’s training. Their children will, in turn, train their children in ways that only committed men can do. This is how family values cut across generations. I have no doubt the men mentioned above will support their sons in training their future children to be respectable men and leaders. 

Children are ecstatic about this vacation from school. That is, until the summer doldrums arrive (and I am not talking about the weather). Summer can be long, hot, tedious and rainy. By mid-July, if not sooner, our grandchildren will be repeating the phrases their parents once used: “I’m bored.” “There’s nothing to do…”Experience taught us that the best way to handle the summer doldrums is to be prepared. Therefore, the Christian Grandparenting Network staff has assembled a list of our favorite ideas for summertime fun. Categories include: Full or Half Day Trips, Crafts and Games, Kitchen Fun, and Backyard Activities.