“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
Sadly, some of the grandparents we work with in Grandly are estranged from their children which often results in having no contact with their grandchildren. I know of one set of grandparents who have never seen either of their two granddaughters face to face. They have never seen a photograph of them. They have never heard them laugh or watched them dance. They have been asked not to send birthday cards or Christmas presents.
For them, Grandly’s call to “strategic grandparenting” is a painful irony. While other grandparents are funding mission trips for their grandchildren and then listening to delightful stories of how God worked in their lives, these grandparents must navigate the agonizing silence of being barred from any kind of relationship with their grandchildren. They have even imagined being seated next to one of their grandchildren on an airplane and being completely unaware of who she is. “How is that strategic? How is that grandparenting?”
Being denied the joy of knowing one’s own grandchildren is a unique and profound form of grief, no matter what caused the estrangement.
Despite their disappointment and pain, these two grandparents have been faithful donors to Grandly for a number of years. They give because they believe in the mission. They believe that grandparents are called to pass on their faith. They are to be models of long-term faithfulness who have their hope anchored in heaven. For them, that is their call no matter who sees it lived out. They have prayed for their grandchildren for nearly twenty years, hoping that God will hear their prayers and intervene to fix what has been broken; that he will do abundantly more than what they can ask or imagine. They trust that the Lord can reach across any distance, heal any wound, and write a beautiful story of redemption.
Please join me today in praying for those grandparents who have been utterly cut off from relating to their grandchildren.
“Almighty and most merciful God, please release grandparents who have no relationship with their grandchildren from their pain, console them in their grief, and give them undying hope in you. Hear their prayers and give them confidence that you will act and let your steadfast love be the anchor of their souls. Amen.”
Pili Abouchaar is the mother of three and the Executive Director of Grandly Missions.