WHAT ARE GRANDPARENTS FOR?

Psa.  78:2-4
September 13, 2009

    A British historian, visited Russia during the Cold War, and reported that there was a revival of Christianity there.  People asked, “How, despite years of persecution and atheistic propaganda, does the church still survives in Russia?”

    His answer was, “It’s due to the grandparents.”  The old people kept coming to the churches, and they were dismissed by the communist leaders as nobodies who would soon die out.  People who visited Russia would criticize, saying, “There are only old folks left in the church.”

    But those dedicated grandparents took their grandchildren under their wings and passed on their faith to them.  And the strength of the church in Russia today is due to the witness of grandparents who quietly cared for the future generations.

    Older adults have a unique ability to inspire through their story.  A beautiful Psalm explains this truth.  It says, “I will speak using stories, I will tell things that have been secret since long ago.  We have heard them and know them.  Our fathers told them to us.  We will not keep them from our children.  We will tell those who come later about the praises of the Lord.  We will tell about his power, and the wonderful works he has done”(Psa.  78:2-4).

    So what are grandparents really for?

I.  FIRST, THEY ARE TO SHARE THEIR LOVE.

    That’s the strength of the family.  Solomon said, “It's better to eat vegetables with those who love you, than to eat meat with those who hate you” (Prov.  15:17, edb);

    “Hatred stirs up trouble, but love forgives all wrongs” (Prov.  10:12, edb).
    A child expressed it this way:

    Grandmas are for stories about things of long ago.
    Grandmas are for caring about all the things you know . . .
    Grandmas are for giving you nice memories to keep . . .
    Grandma’s are for praying by your bed before you sleep.
    Grandmas are for knowing all the things you’re dreaming of . . .
    But, most importantly of all, Grandmas are for love.

    One grandmother gave this advice:

    Don’t pamper the baby,
    Don’t run to each cry;
    Don’t rock that new infant
    And don’t lullaby;
    Don’t coddle or cuddle,
    that’s all there is to it!
    Don’t spoil that sweet baby . . .
    Let us grandparents do it!

    Grandparents share their love.

II.  NEXT, GRANDPARENTS ARE TO SHARE THEIR WISDOM.

    God gave Joel this advice: “Tell your children about these things, and let your children tell it to their children, and let your grandchildren tell their children” (Joel 1:3, edb).

    That’s how wisdom is passed on from generation to generation.  They say, every time an elderly person dies, a library is lost!  Their knowledge and experience is too important to be wasted.

    Paul Harvey passed on these words of wisdom: He said, “We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.  For my grandchildren, I’d like to do better.

    I’d really like for them to make their own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
    And I hope nobody gives them a brand new car when they are sixteen.
    I hope they have to walk uphill to school and live in a town were they can do it safely.
    If they want a slingshot, I hope their Dad teaches them how to make one instead of buying one.
    I hope they learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
    When they learn to use computers, I hope they also learn to add and subtract in their head.
    I hope, when they talk back to their mother, that they learn what Ivory Soap tastes like.
    I sure hope they make time to sit on a porch with their Grandma and Grandpa, and go fishing with their Uncle.
    Young people, these things I wish for you: Tough times and hard work and happiness.  To me, it’s the only way to appreciate life.
    Grandparents share their wisdom!

III.   FINALLY, GRANDPARENTS ARE TO SHARE THEIR FAITH.

    When Paul wrote to Timothy, he said, “I am remember your true faith.  That kind of faith first belonged to your grandmother, Lois . . . ” (2 Timothy 1:5).

    There probably wouldn’t have been a Timothy without his grandmother.  She passed on her values.  She provided a Christian example.  She shared her faith.

    A man said, “I once attended a strange auction.  The public was allowed to bid on unclaimed items that people had left behind in safe-deposit boxes.  These items were once deemed so important that people paid money to have them safeguarded:

    We moved along, past the coin collections and pocket watches and jewelry to documents and items sealed in plastic bags: Diplomas, children’s report cards, letters . . . Boy Scout patches, receipts from a hotel, a child’s crayon drawing of a bunny rabbit . . .

    All the forgotten possessions of owners now dead: Rosaries, letters, train tickets . . . Two marbles, three stones, and a belt buckle . . .
    Why were these things kept?  Did they represent some special memory, or some special person?

    Passports, telegrams, newspaper clippings . . . A yellowed article from a 1959 Lost Angeles newspaper was headlined, “Mother Sobs At Guilty Verdict.”  What happened?  Did she watch her son die in San Quentin’s electric chair?

    Undeveloped film, birth certificates, marriage licenses . . .

    The official business of life intermingled with the unofficial business of life—a lock of dark hair, a child’s math paper and a poem called “Grandmother’s Attic.”

    It was as if those of us at the auction had been allowed entry into hundreds of grandmothers’ attics:  Diaries, photographs, the ink print of a newborn baby’s feet . . .

    Most of the items spoke volumes about life.  They also suggested a sense of finality, a realization that life on earth ends, and you can’t take anything with you.

    So, grandparents, what will you leave behind? 

    A little box full of mementos can reveal what we valued.  But it’s only a whisper compared to the legacy of our lives. 

    It’s not the one who dies with the most toys that wins.  Instead, it’s the ones whose lives are guided by rock-solid principles that win.  Lives that are designed to be an inspiration to their children and grandchildren.

    Grandparents must share their faith!

    What about you who are here today?  What examples are you leaving?  How will you be remembered?  Can your children and grand-children and great-grandchildren be guided and supported and inspired by your lives?

    Grandparents, are you sharing your love?

    Grandparents, are you sharing your wisdom?

    Grandparents, are you sharing your faith?

    The Scriptures say, “Show respect to old people . . .” (Lev.  19:32, edb).

    One writer said, “I never met Pop (as everyone called my mother’s father) because he passed away . . . before I was born.  But I know him through my parents’ many stories.  He was strong, quiet and wise, with tremendous patience.  I admire all those qualities.

    Although I never had the chance to cuddle in Pop’s lap for a bedtime story, his loving spirit still touches my life.  Through the stories about him, his gifts of love, wisdom and faith . . . come alive, and I hope will continue to live on in my own son.

    It’s interesting that the word “Grandfather” is the endearment that many American Indian people give to God, the Great Spirit.  In native societies, grandparents hold the highest respect.  A minister said, “A few years ago, while I was attending a Christian retreat, I heard that some people were having a difficult time with the concept of God as Father because of difficulties they had with their own fathers.  A wise leader gave this advice:  ‘Think of God as a loving Grandfather.’

    I smiled inwardly because I realized that we’ve all had difficulties with our fathers, at one time or another.  It’s just a part of growing up.  You might want to try what our retreat leader suggested: Think of God as a loving Grandfather.  It might help during those times when God seems very far away.”

    Grandparents have a vital role in our lives.  This is a little prayer all of us might pray:

    Dear God, on this Grandparents Day, help us remember and share the love, wisdom and faith of our grandparents, and then try to make some blessed new memories with them each and every day.”

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(WC1361)

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Miles E Wesner