The legacy you leave your grandchildren is being shaped in everyday moments. Roger Marsh shares an encouraging reminder that your influence can help point the next generation toward a lasting faith in Jesus Christ.
Grandparents and Their Vital Role
Some years ago, Dr. Dobson sat down with Larry Fowler, the founder of the Legacy Coalition, and Larry opened with a statistic that stopped the conversation cold. Three out of four Christian grandparents, he said, approach grandparenting the way the culture approaches it rather than the way Scripture does. Spoil them, feed them, hand them back.
Then he mentioned something else. He had asked a room full of believers how many of them had ever heard a single sermon preached on grandparenting.
Three hands went up.
That is the gap this ministry has spent decades trying to close, and it is why we wanted to write to you today. Because Dr. Dobson said something about your role that we have never been able to improve on:
“An inheritance is something you leave to someone, while a legacy is something you instill in someone.”
An inheritance transfers when you’re gone. A legacy transfers on an ordinary Tuesday, on the phone, in the car, at the kitchen table, while you’re not even thinking about it.
You are almost certainly further along than you think you are. Thank you for the work you are doing in the lives of children who will outlive all of us.
A Grandmother's Lasting Influence
Question: I am a grandmother who is blessed to have fourteen grandchildren. I often take care of them and love just having them over. However, I would like to do more for them than just babysit. What can I do to really make an impact on their lives?
Answer: Above all else, I would hope you would help lead your grandchildren to Jesus Christ. You are in a wonderful position to do that. My grandmother had a profound impact on my spiritual development—even greater in my early years than my father, who was a minister. She talked about the Lord every day and made Him seem like a very dear friend who lived in our house. I will never forget the conversations we had about heaven and how wonderful it would be to live there throughout eternity. That little lady is on the other side today, waiting for the rest of her family to join her in that beautiful city.
You can have that kind of impact on your family, too. Grandparents have been given powerful influence on their grandchildren if they will take the time to invest in their lives. There is so much to be accomplished while they are young.
From Dr. James Dobson’s book, Your Legacy: The Greatest Gift.
Put It Into Practice
- Appreciate how God created your daughter. Notice the qualities that make her uniquely who she is, and thank Him for the gift of her personality, emotions, and strengths.
- Ask God for wisdom as you guide her. Pray that He will help you understand your daughter more deeply and nurture her faith during these formative years.
