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The Joys and Opportunities of Being a Grandparent We have spent much of this class reflecting on what may be one of the biggest physical blessings that the Lord will give us in this life: our children: Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. (Psalm 127:3-5 NIV) We will now spend some time reflecting on another great blessing, one that God gives us through our children: Grandchildren are the crown of the aged… (Proverbs 17:6a)

The Joys and Opportunities of Being a Grandparent As our grandchildren are a blessing to us, we in turn can be a blessing to them: Grandparents serve as a direct, personal connection between their grandchildren and significant events in the distant past. We see this illustrated in what the Lord said to Moses concerning the events of the Exodus: Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD (Exodus 10:1-2 NIV)

The Joys and Opportunities of Being a Grandparent As our grandchildren are a blessing to us, we in turn can be a blessing to them: Grandparents are often used by God to point their grandchildren to the gospel. We see this illustrated in what Paul says to Timothy concerning his grandmother (and mother): I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. (2 Timothy 1:5)

The Joys and Opportunities of Being a Grandparent If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I’d have had them first. ~Lois Wyse As a grandparent you get to experience many of the same joys that you had in parenting children, but without many of the downsides of parenting: You don’t have to be “the heavy” when it comes to discipline. You’re not “on call” 24/7 – you can enjoy being with them for a time, and then give them back to their parents.

The Joys and Opportunities of Being a Grandparent The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy. ~Sam Levenson There is a certain amount of built in friction in the parent child relationship: A good parent has to hold their kids accountable – day in and day out. Because you’re around your kids all the time you can’t help but see each others “warts”. Grandparents are in a position to avoid this kind of baggage with their grandkids and have a more unrestrained affection and respect for each other. Consequently, grandparents are sometimes in a better position to express sympathy and perhaps get a better hearing from the grandkids than the parents.

Questions About Grandparenting Has this discussion about the possibility of you becoming a grandparent in the future given you a new perspective in how you want to go about raising your kids today? If so, how? As a parent, have you sometimes struggled with being jealous of the relationship that your kids have with your parents? If so, has our discussion today changed your perspective on this and if so, how? Are you looking forward to becoming a grandparent (assuming God allows)?