What a joy it is to have that precious little grandchild come running into your arms with hugs and kisses. The six-year-old calling to tell you she lost her first tooth or your seven-year-old grandchild excited about making his first goal in his soccer game. Isn’t it exciting when your teenage grandson calls on the phone to ask if he can come over to visit. In addition to the senior discounts, grandchildren are one of the rewards of growing older. Mary H. Waldrip says it well, “Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old.” 
Grandparents love their grandchildren unconditionally. They would like to protect them from pain, disappointment, or discouragement. It does not matter if they are preschoolers or adults -- they all face challenges.  Humanly, we want to rescue them and pray, “Don’t let anything bad happen to them.” To which the Lord may say, “I need to allow disappointment, pain, and failure. I want them to learn to trust me when they are afraid and troubled so I can pour my blessings on them.”   
God may allow challenging situations in the lives of our grandchildren for a purpose—to develop character and maturity. Trials and challenges are inevitable. Our grandchildren must learn to expect them, submit to them and learn from them. The challenges they face are not meant to destroy them. They are exercises designed to make them capable to fulfill their God-given assignments.
God sometimes wants to demonstrate to truth about Himself through their trials. Trials help them move from theoretical faith to practical faith. We can pray that they will see their challenges as spiritual exercises designed to make them become stronger spiritually and as a person. As grandparents, let us not hinder their growth with our unconditional love and not allow them to go through their challenging situations.
God has created each of our grandchildren for a unique purpose and given us the awesome opportunity to be their grandparents and partner with Him on their behalf with our prayers. 
Ask God to help them:
•    Learn to expect, submit and learn from their trials and challenges.
•    Learn to trust the Lord when they are afraid or troubled.
•    Learn to cast all their anxieties on the Lord because He cares for them.
•    Understand and accept their God-given assignments.
•    Be motivated to pursue them.
•    Trust Him to provide the resources to fulfill them.

©2009 Lillian Penner

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