What Is Your Greatest Advantage as Grandparent?

When you held your first grandchild in your arms, what dreams and aspirations did you have for that child? Like most parents, grandparents often dream grand plans of what this child could become. Will he or she be a great athlete? Will he be President one day? Will she be a doctor, a lawyer, a famous author or a celebrity? Will he become the new CEO of the family business?

We all want our grandchildren to have all the advantages they can in life to succeed. That goes without saying, but do we place the proper priority on the life advantages that really matter? Tony Evans says, “too many parents put more effort into their kids making the team than gaining the Kingdom.” I’d say that rings true for many grandparents too. Anybody need to join me in raising a guilty hand?                                                                                                                       

The fact remains there is no greater advantage in life than our faith in Christ—if it’s the real deal. True faith is the greatest advantage we can bring to the table to help shape a young life for all eternity. We do not give them faith—God does that. But we do provide the advantage of our faith in Christ to show them what is our greatest treasure, and possibly help shape their faith as well. The fact is that if we do not give validity to the joy and power of faith in Christ, then we will likely give them a reason to think that such faith is not real or relevant to life.

Is your faith in Christ merely a hobby that you dabble in on weekends, or is it your life? I heard someone say recently that we need to be life-ready adults if we are going to raise life-ready kids, including our grandkids. It is easy to become sidetracked by performance-oriented activities and miss the more important heart and character matters that lead to maturity in Christ.

The truth is that life is hard and often filled with trouble. As grandparents we do our grandkids no good service by trying to shield them from the hard stuff of life. Our faith is that great advantage that believes Jesus when he said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Our faith is an advantage because we know who has overcome all the trouble that is an inherent component of life in this world. When we understand that truth, we will not be bowled over or in despair when trouble happens. Our faith is the great advantage because it is the source of peace that only Jesus can give.

Is your faith an advantage that your grandchildren will notice, or is it just another one of many options on the menu of choices? Faith is no advantage if it has no relevance to all of life. The world offers no answers for the bad things that happen and the troubles that plague us, but Christ does. “Now, as always Christ will be exalted in my body,” Paul declared. “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:20-21). Now that indeed is a great advantage I want my grandchildren to have as well. Don’t you?

GRANDPAUSE: The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. –George Muller