Three More Ways . . .

How do we let the children in our lives know we love them? Here are three more ways we can demonstrate our feelings to them:
Pray for them. Praying for our grandchildren (and for our own children as they parent our grandchildren) allows us to bring them before our heavenly Father regularly. What greater love could we demonstrate?
As we pray, we can ask for God's protection over them; for His blessing on them; and for Him to shape their character, their opportunities, and their faith in Him. We can pray that their relationships with their parents, their siblings, their friends, and their teachers will be healthy and holy. We can pray that they will meet challenges and adversities with grace, strength, and courage, and that they will be a blessing to those around them. We can pray that they will come to faith in God through Jesus Christ, and that they will experience the joy of the Lord in every area of their lives.
Share your skills, hobbies and interests with your grandchildren. If you like to fish, show them how to bait a hook or set up a tackle box. If you like to bake, share your favorite cookie recipes with them. If you like to hike, take them hiking, or at least on a walk around the neighborhood! Sharing the things that mean something to you is another way of demonstrating love to a child.
Show interest in what interests them. Ask him to tell you about the things he is doing, the books he is reading, the hobbies he participates in. Listen to his answers, then ask more questions. What sports does he participate in? Become a fan: go to a game or a meet. Go to a performance or a contest. Keep up with what he is doing, and talk with him about it.
Demonstrating your love for a child can be fun for both of you.

Coffee and Conversation with our Father . . .

There's something about sharing conversation and a cup of coffee with a good friend.
In my case, and perhaps in yours as well, that conversation and cup of coffee might often involve prayer -- I get the coffee (and thank God for it!) and share the conversation with Him.
It's important for us as grandparents to pray for our kids and grandkids, and I wrote about that this week for Inspired Bliss in "A Gift Worth Giving."
I invite you to pour yourself a cup of coffee and check it out!

A Sixth Key to Good Intergenerational Relationships

When it comes to intergenerational relationship keys, the sixth key, prayer, is one of the most important.
It's hard to overestimate the power, the value of praying for our children, their spouses, their children, their in-laws, their friends. Prayer is a profound way of loving our children.
But what sounds simple can be more difficult than we think. How do we discipline ourselves to pray regularly, honestly, humbly for the people we love best?
A lot of books, seminars, and other resources are available if you want to learn more about prayer, but in my opinion the best way to learn is simply to begin.
Prayer is a conversation with God. Usually I don't have trouble talking! Most of the time I try to begin with a recognition of Who it is I am talking with. Often this involves praise and thanksgiving. I concentrate on God's best qualities – His faithfulness, His strength, His kindness and mercy – and how I've seen those qualitiies at work in my life, and in the world around me.
Then I focus on my requests for those I love: I pray for their safety, their relationships, their opportunities, their spiritual growth, their joys, their concerns. All that keeping in touch with them pays off now; I have some idea of what to pray for. I remember that Emma has an algebra test or that Kristen is dealing with a teething baby and I pray for them. I think about Scott's stressful work, or Natalie's unreliable car, and I pray for them. I pray for Carrie in pre-school and for Erica's new job. I think about Nathaniel's career choices, or Katrina's health, and I pray for them. I go through my heart's list one at a time, and think about what is going on in their lives. I ask God what they need, and I pray for them.
I try to finish the way I began, by praising and thanking God. What a privilege it is to pray for the people I love!
My intention is always to pray daily, but my practice falls short. I don't let that stop me, though, or discourage me – I pray whenever I think of something I want to pray about.
The important thing about all this isn't that I do something, but that God does. He answers prayer. I see it all the time. It's not always exactly the way I thought He might answer but He answers, because He is faithful, and He loves us.
And that's what matters.

Privilege and Responsibility

Grandparents these days often take on a lot of responsibility for their grandchildren.
That's not necessarily a new thing.
I remember my grandmother telling me about moving into town at a very young age, leaving her parents and younger brothers and sisters on the farm. Grandma lived with her widowed grandmother in town in order to go to school – something she couldn't have accomplished if she'd stayed on the farm.
Back in those days, the loss of a parent, a difficult financial situation, or just the ability to fill in a parental gap might mean a grandparent stepped in to help raise a child. The same thing is true today.
Some of us are still milk-and-cookies grandmas, with occasional baby-sitting duties. Some of us help out regularly with responsibilities like after-school care or getting a child to the orthodontist. Some of us actually end up with custody of a grandchild.
The question is, how do we grandparents handle responsibilities that change and evolve even as our grandchildren grow up?
Here are three things to think about as you navigate your role as a grandparent:
*Start with prayer: ask God what role you should play in your grandchild's life. Seek His wisdom about how to relate to your own child, your grandchild's parent. Ask Him to make you a good example. Don't forget to thank Him for the privilege of being a grandparent.
*Talk with your child about what she expects of you as a grandparent, and be honest with her about what you are willing to do as a grandparent. Do your best to resolve any old issues between you for the sake of your grandchild.
*Look for the joy; enjoy the fun. Whether you see your grandchild only rarely or shoulder heavy responsibility for her, take time to relish the privilege even as you shoulder the responsibility.
You may have thought your days in an orthodontist's waiting room were over, or that listening to a child read a library book was something you were finished with. Life is full of opportunity, though.
Often, these days it's spelled “g-r-a-n-d-c-h-i-l-d.”