A while back I heard about a conversation involving a grandchild sharing her observations on the behavior of her grandparents. It went something like this:
“Tell me about your grandmother…”
“Oh, she is great! We bake cookies together, she reads Betsy-Tacy books to me, we go on walks, and we play Chutes and Ladders.”
“Wow, what a wonderful grandmother! Now tell me about your grandfather?”
“Oh, he sits and watches. That’s what he does.”
This little dialogue hit me like a ton of bricks. No beating around the bush, I was that grandfather. I was like David before Nathan the prophet when he said, “That man is you!” (2 Samuel 12:7). I would sit and watch television, sit and watch my computer screen, and sit and watch my grandchildren.
I was convicted, really convicted. This grandchild’s remarks were like a shot right between the eyes. It was a powerful sudden realization that I was coming up short, woefully short, in my role as a grandfather. I actually prayed, “Lord, I love my grandchildren. I don’t want to sit and watch them anymore. Forgive me for my sloth, my laziness, my half-hearted approach to my role as a grandfather. Help me, Holy Spirit, to change.”
The next day…well, I did not instantly become the world’s best grandparent, but something was starting to change.
- I am not a cooking enthusiast, but I know how to make pancakes – all sorts of pancakes – plain, blueberry, strawberry, chocolate. Even small grandchildren can help with this. Grandpa’s pancake breakfasts have become a “new” tradition.
- I know how to putt a golf ball and taking the young (as well as the old) grandkids to the putting course is now “a big deal” for the grandkids.
- I can build sandcastles – incredible sandcastles. Now the grandkids look forward to beach time with granddad and they learn more than just how to fill a bucket with sand.
- I can read with silly voices – not sure if this is a skill or not – but the grandchildren sure think it’s funny and love to hear my stories.
- I can listen, an important skill whether my grandchild is 2 (“I’m not 2! I’m 2 ½!”), 12, or 22.
So, my fellow grandfathers, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” (James 1:22). I rephrase that slightly to “Be doers of the word, and not watchers only.”
John Dewitt is the father of 4 and grandfather of 14. He lives in Dimondale, Michigan.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to be in your grandchildren’s lives in “new’ older ways. You will not be disappointed. “For He is faithful and He will do it.” (I Thess. 5:24).