by Jeanette Buzzell

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command….I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

(The words of Jesus, John 15:12-15 NIV)

Jesus gave us an excellent example of what it means to be a friend. In John 15:12-15 He provided us with four simple steps…first, love as I love you; second, lay down your life for your friends; third, do what I command; fourth, tell your friends what you have learned from my Father.

Love, sacrifice, obedience and the opportunity to share! What a great way to invest in our grandchildren. Whether we live in the same town as our grandchildren or miles apart, there are many ways to offer our grandchildren these gifts of friendship.

I have three lovely grandchildren. Mason and Jaxon live in California and Baby Sydney lives in Nashville. Building a relationship with them would be much easier if only they lived in Denver. We could go to the park together, take a drive into the mountains, enjoy lunch at McDonald’s or Chucky Cheese, visit the Children’s Museum, or have a sleep over at Nettie and Pop’s house. What fun we would have! But is being a friend to my grandchildren more than “doing” with them? What about the “being” part?

As I reflected on our topic this first day of March 2008, I wondered what a grandparent as friend would look like. How are they different than other friends? My mind traveled back in time to a retreat in Tyler, Texas. I was sitting crisscross applesauce (if you have a grandchild in elementary school you know what that looks like) on the floor directly across from a dear friend and counselor. I cannot remember what we were supposed to be discussing or even the topic of the session, it was many years ago. But I have never forgotten what my friend asked me. “What do you think God is like?” Phil asked. My silence signaled that I was not quite sure how to respond. “I want you to think that God is like me” he said.

“I want you to think that God is like me?” What does that mean? This friend had helped me travel through some personal issues. Throughout the process he appropriately provided me with unconditional love, the sacrifice of his own time, a model of obedience and commitment to God’s commands, and finally, he shared what he had learned from our heavenly Father. Love, sacrifice, obedience and sharing. Four simple steps.

Grandparents as friends have a wonderful opportunity to go beyond the fun of “doing” with our grandchildren. We can “be” by following Jesus’ example. When we allow ourselves to “be” that kind of friend, we provide our grandchildren with the stability of our unconditional love, with the security of knowing that we will always think first of their wellbeing, with a model of obedience by living our life in a way that demonstrates our commitment to following Jesus’ commandments, and with a demonstration of faithfulness in passing the legacy of everything we have learned from the Father. Visa says it well in their commercials…PRICELESS!