If you have children, whether they’re just newborns or teenagers, you hopefully know the blessing that grandparents can be in a child’s life. Whether it’s holding and feeding baby while parents get a chance to sleep, picking up a young person at an after-school activity, or offering a listening ear, the gifts that grandparents can offer can be invaluable. But have you ever thought about how their involvement in your child’s life might impact your young person’s spiritual development? Here’s how:
Grandparents Can Offer Perspective for Children and Parents
The Bible often encourages us, explicitly or implicitly, to seek wise counsel. If you’re a parent, you know that raising a child can be extremely difficult at times. Whether you don’t know how to deal with a disciplinary issue or you’re worried about a health concern, talking to a trusted parent can lift a great deal of confusion and burden off of a young parents’ mind. But spiritually, talking to and paying with grandparents through these difficult times makes a significant difference in how a parent approaches them.
Additionally, grandparents can also offer spiritual perspective to their grandchildren. Particularly when they’re older, sometimes it’s nice for children to have someone, in addition to their own parent, to talk to about spiritual issues. Encourage your kids and their grandparents to have these kinds of conversations.
Grandparents Set and Example
If your child sees that you love, trust, and respect your parent, their grandparent, they may be more likely to see the benefits of trusting and respecting you through difficult times. If you’re a parent, think about how you can model the relationship you’d like to have with your child with your parent.
Grandparents Can Give Parents Rest
Rest, being still, and taking time to pray are extremely important for everyone, but maybe especially for parents who have the all-important task of raising a young person. Grandparents, more likely than not, love spending time with their grandchildren, and by allowing them to do so, parents can get a chance to recharge their own spiritual batteries–without interruption. No one can pour out of an empty cup and rest and taking time with the Lord is extremely important before dealing with a sassy teenager or disobedient three year old.
