MEANS #3: PREPARING YOUR GRANDCHILDREN FOR ADULTHOOD

GrandPause: May the Lord bless you and keep you… and give you peace (Num.6:24-26)

Obviously, the ideal scenario for preparing and equipping our grandchildren for adulthood is a strong, healthy alliance with our adult children. I believe that is how God would want it as well. However, in the face of obstacles that make such an alliance difficult or impossible, we must realize that God has not left us without certain means for helping our grandchildren prepare to walk in the truth as adults moving towards full maturity in Christ.

My last blog focused on the means of living intentionally as examples of Christlikeness through intentional praying and intentional serving. In this post, I want to address one other very powerful means, or tool, God has given us for this task.

Means #3: Be a Conduit of Blessing

The first act of God recorded in Scripture after the creation of man (male and female) was to pronounce a blessing.  Read again what the Scriptures say: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’”  (Genesis 1:27-28).

The practice of blessing has been a part of human existence from the beginning. God started human history with it, and the Patriarchs employed it in their families. In fact it came to be the most sought after asset that one generation received from another. God blessed Abraham and told him he would also be a blessing to the nations. Isaac and Jacob were given the same blessing and gave blessings to their sons and grandsons. Jesus scolded the disciples for trying to send the children away. Instead, he gathered them to himself and blessed them. He also warned of severe consequences for anyone who failed to welcome (bless) these little ones, or to hinder them in any way.

What does this practice have to do with preparing your grandchildren for adulthood? Good question. If you agree that the Scriptures reveal at least three basic components in a spoken blessing, hopefully the answer will be obvious. Let’s take a quick look at these three components:

Component #1: Affirming High Value

What better way to prepare our children/grandchildren for adulthood than by affirming their value, not in how they perform or measure up to our expectations, but because they are made in God’s image. That truth alone expresses the heart of the Father, who cherishes them so much He gave His own Son so they could have eternal life. The spoken blessing, especially when done repeatedly, is a powerful tool grandparents have in their toolbox to affirm a child’s self-worth, as opposed to self-esteem, which tends to be rooted in pride.

Component #2: Confirming a Special Future

Because we are made in God’s image, God has declared that each of us has a purpose created even before we were formed. Paul said it this way: “For we are God’s handiwork (or masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.” In God’s blessing upon Adam and Eve, He gave them a purpose and task to do.

The spoken blessing gives us a platform for constantly confirming that special future God has prepared for our grandchildren as they enter adulthood and make important choices that will determine the paths they will follow. As we watch them grow and discover how God has wired them, we can speak into their lives truth that enables them to ponder well God’s plan for their lives and make choices that will keep them on the path God has planned for them.

Component #3: Declaring My Resolute Commitment

The night Jesus was betrayed He reminded the disciples that He would not leave them alone. He would always be with them and He would send them the Spirit of truth to their Counselor. In a similar way, the speaking of the spoken blessing is also a declaration that I, as their grandparent, am always on call to help them in their journey. I am not the giver of blessing, but simply the conduit of God’s blessing as I both speak and actively engage with them to become all God’s has already prepared them to be.

Peter reminds us that we have everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). We have the means at our disposal to impact a young life for the Kingdom, and to help them choose the path that God has prepared for them—a path towards full maturity in Christ and the satisfying of their deepest longings. It requires intentionality on our part, which requires that we believe God and put our faith in His Word.

For more information about the Spoken Blessing, click here.