I can still remember it clearly like it was yesterday… it was a warm summer afternoon, and I was standing in the driveway at Papa’s house with a baseball glove in my hand.
He was standing on the other end of the driveway, his shirt off, and the baseball in his hand. We had to have stayed out there for what seemed like hours passing that ball back and forth. I’m thankful for those memories.
There was rarely ever a time I would go into Grandma Linder’s house without her having a fresh bag of white sugar powdered mini donuts and 2% milk that I had free access to. And I could never go see Grandma Bouillon without her giving me some of my favorite—candy corn.
And then I can remember the time as a little boy when I begged Grandpa for that plastic toy golf set in Kay-Bee Toy Store, and he told me ‘No’ at least 50 times, but yet he still ended up buying the crazy thing for that spoiled little brat kid.
Over the years, my grandparents gave me a lot of great memories and things, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that the greatest gift they ever gave me wasn’t any of those memories or things. The greatest gift they ever gave me was the gift of godly parents. No physical gift I received or memory I have can compare to the value of them raising my parents right.
I’m forever grateful to my parents for raising me in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord”, but if it hadn’t been for their parents doing the same with them, I wouldn’t be who or where I am today. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my grandparents.
As I consider my own life and parenting I realize that within a few short years, I could be a grandparent (How is this possible?)! And there are gifts that I can give to my precious grandchildren before they are ever even around to receive them.
- The gift of a Godly heritage
- A legacy of loving and prioritizing family
- A passion for the souls of people
- Moral integrity and financial stability
- A generous servant’s heart
- Faithfulness to God and His Church
As I contemplate those things, and as I think about my future grandchildren, the best way for me to give those gifts to my grandkids someday is to instill those qualities in my children today.
Mom & Dad, you will probably give your kids a lot of gifts over their lifetime, but don’t forget that they themselves are the very best gift you’ll ever be able to give your grandchildren.
“The best gift I will ever give my grandchildren is the gift of godly parents.”
Proverbs 17:6 Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
My awesome, godly parents
