When my daughter gave birth to our first grandchild in 2006, I was determined to be the very best “Papa” ever. Not only by being there, giving things to and doing things with my grandchildren, but more importantly, by providing a positive role model and teaching them the ways of the Lord. This included praying for them daily. My wife’s grandfather once told me at the birth of our first child, “You will never know how to pray until you have children and grandchildren of your own.” He was right. I have learned how to laugh, plead, thank, yell, sweat and cry with God, all on behalf of my children and grandchildren. I am convinced, at least to some extent, the blessing of who those children and grandchildren are today and will become, is a direct result of those prayers and entreaties.

It is vital to our faith to pass on Christian values to the next generation, even as
a long distant grandparent.

Since that time in 2006, my wife and I have been blessed with ten grandchildren. Unfortunately, they all live more than 50 miles from us; six of them are nearly 1000 miles away. Apparently, we are not alone. AARP reports there are 67 million grandparents in the USA today and over half of them are separated by a minimum 200 miles from at least one of their grandchildren. In fact, more than one-third of those grandparents live more than 50 miles from their nearest grandchild.

In generations past, it would not have been unusual for a person to have been born, lived their entire life, and died without ever having left the county in which they were born. In fact, in many families it was the norm to have several generations living under the same roof. It was easy for parents and grandparents to pass on their values and beliefs to the next
generation. Today, parents and grandparents find themselves separated from their children and grandchildren not only by distance, but by those same beliefs and values past generations so easily conveyed to the future. As a result, without a firm foundation provided by loving elders, many young people today find themselves struggling to know exactly what
they do believe. Not knowing what they stand for, they will fall for anything. Unfortunately, it is usually not biblical truth, but the world’s distorted version of truth.

Therefore, we as Christian grandparents have an obligation to find a method to teach Christian values and truth
to our grandkids, even if we are separated by distance. Scripture commands us to do so.

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, ESV)

How can you connect with distant grandkids and pass on your values?

As a youngster, I remember the excitement of walking to our small town post office, opening our mailbox, and seeing a letter there from my grandmother who lived so far away. When I began thinking about how I could connect with my own grandkids and pass on some of the spiritual life lessons I have learned, I thought what better way than in the form of letters, tying the lesson to a personal experience I have had in my life. I realize that may sound old fashioned, and believe me, as a retired engineer and business person I am well aware of and use modern technology such as email, texts, Facebook and Instagram. But, there is something to be said for going to a physical mailbox, seeing a letter addressed to you, ripping it open and feeling it in your hand as you read those words penned hundreds of miles away.

As I started writing these letters for my grandkids nearly three years ago, I tried to address hard to grasp topics for teens such as, “Why Do I Believe In God?” “Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?” “Am I Good Enough For Heaven?” and “Can Our Prayers Change God’s Mind?” These are just five of the dozens of topics I have addressed with them through
my writing. In each of these letters, I start by telling them a story from my life. This not only is a way to relate the topic to a real life situation, but it also allows them to get a better picture of who their Papa was and is. After I’ve told the story, I then relate it to one or more scripture verses and try to teach a Christian principle and biblical truth that I may have learned the hard way.

You can write your own letters to connect with grandkids

I would encourage every grandparent to try this, even if you are fortunate and your grandkids live nearby. Your letters don’t have to be about complex, deep theological subjects. All they have to do is convey to your grandchild you care about them and care about their spiritual welfare. Everyone has had experiences in their lives where they learned a valuable lesson
Simply tell them the story of that experience, then relate it to the lesson you learned, including a scripture verse if applicable.

Preserving my letters for the future

After I had written around sixty or so letters, I began to think, “Maybe someone else could
benefit from my experiences and these letters I’ve written.” So, I began investigating putting
some of them into book form which is now available to everyone as the book, “Love, Papa:
Letters of Wisdom from a Grandfather to His Grandchildren.” I did this for two reasons. The
first was to preserve the letters for my grandkids to keep and share with their families long
after I’m gone. Secondly, it was so I could share it with other grandparents as an example of
what they could do to connect with their own grandkids.

During a recent neighborhood Bible study my wife attends, the leader asked the question, “Who had the biggest influence on your life for Christ?” In nearly every case, the participants answered, “my grandfather” or “my grandmother.” Be that grandparent who has a huge impact for eternity.

“Love, Papa: Letters of Wisdom from a Grandfather to His Grandchildren” is available from The Christian Grandparenting Network online store.
You can listen to Gary being interviewed about his life and book on The Legacy Coalition Podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1694635
You can also learn more about Gary and his book on his website at www.garoldwalexander.com.