In “Grandparenting by Grit and Grace, Part Two”, I shared with you the lovely story of the Chicago Bear pro football Hall of Fame player, Walter Payton. He lived a life filled with “grit and grace”. Not only was his life exemplary to me, but also, his death. You see, Walter died at the height of life. A rare liver disease took his life at age 45.
Death. Not a comfortable topic. But the truth of the matter is that it comes to every.single.one.of.us. We do not know when our time will come. We do not know how many days nor how many opportunities we may have to pass a legacy of faith to our loved ones. But the day to cross over to the other side of eternity will come to each of us.
If we want to stand in eternity with all of our loved ones by our side, then we need to become focused on our grandparenting. It is important to pray for the Lord to show you His way for you to impact His children. Then you need to sit down and WRITE OUT that plan. Ask yourself, “What conversations do you want to have with your grown children, your grandchildren? Are there activities you desire to do together? Trips you want to take? What skills would you like to pass on? When are these things going to happen? What do you have to do to make them happen?”
If you don’t develop a plan AND write it out, then likely you will not accomplish many of these goals. [Don’t let Covid hold you back.] If you get knocked down as a grandparent, or pushed back; remember Walter Payton. Get back up and run — hard! Do it again and again. Every step counts.
Before long, you can make a touchdown. Little by little, you make a difference in the hearts, minds and lives of your family. Maybe you will be a grandparenting type of Walter Payton and rush nine miles on this journey of GRANDparenting. We are not running a sprint. It’s a marathon. The little steps add up, ultimately getting you to your goal of pointing your children to Christ. “Grandparenting by Grit and Grace” is not so much about big steps or long strides. It is little steps coming together that make a difference. But it all starts with a written plan.
For more information on how to develop a written plan, go to Pass the Legacy: 7 Keys for Grandparents Making a Difference, p. 143.