THE SECOND TIME AROUND
by Christine Wyrtzen
Children are a gift from the Lord;they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3
I have to admit that we were not prepared for the fulfillment that would rise up to greet us when Ron and I became grandparents. When faced with the opportunity to love and shape the lives of our two grandsons, we looked into the mirror of comparisons. I won't speak for Ron but all the ways I had changed since my children were small became evident. My grandparenting style differed from how I parented.
When my kids were small, life was full of pressures I didn’t know how to handle. I was uptight, making my children toe the line because of my need to fit in with the other parents in my social circle. My kids often paid the price for my insecurity. I was fearful of being different and that anxiety had to be felt in our home.
Now, many years later, I am comfortable in my own skin. I am God’s daughter and have more of a feel for what this Christian journey encompasses. I have learned the hard way to live prayerfully, thoughtfully, and with an audience of One. And I'm learning that everyone who lives around a peaceful person benefits.
My two grandsons, Gabe and Andy, live nearby. Throughout this summer, they have been mine for two days a week. We've had time to watch black raspberries grow, pick cherry tomatoes, make Georgia peach cobbler several times, and talk about more serious things like life's choices and what our world is like to live in. Last week, I took them out for lunch to celebrate the end of their summer. For two hours, we sat at the table talking. No technology. No TV. No distractions. Subjects like making hard choices, delayed gratification, choosing friends, becoming godly leaders, understanding favorite bible stories....these were some of the topics we explored and I was stunned by their wisdom.
Grandparenting provides all of us an opportunity to redeem our parenting. It is God’s gracious gift of a second chance. As we live out our love for the next generation of our descendants, our children will hopefully be healed as we bring God’s kingdom to the ones who are most precious to them ~ their own children.
Thank you for continually redeeming every phase of my life. Hover over our grandsons. Amen
Originally published Wednesday, 04 July 2018.
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