Grandmas with Heart: February 2020

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Grandmas (& Grandpas) are Needed

I like this quote from Louisa May Alcott, but just a small "tweak" to make it a better fit for families - "Every family needs a grandma (and grandpa) in it."

When my grandsons were younger, about seven, four and two, they loved to show their "rascally" side and tell me; "Hugs are weird!" To which I would say, "Hugs are not weird - hugs are wonderful!"

Today I am very happy to remind you of our February Book of the Month which is available to help you be a grandparent who hands down the faith - a book from one of our own Grandmas with Heart - Cathy Jacobs. PASS THE LEGACY: 7 Keys for Grandparents Making a Difference .

Is there breath in you? Then KNOW God has a plan for you! If we are over 55 or 60 years of age, our culture tells us our importance in life has diminished. Yet, God's plan is for us to run the race set before us until our final breath - and to run it well. There is no "retirement" in God's Kingdom. This is true for "grandmas" and "grandpas" as well. It is equally true for "grown-mas" and "grown-pas" who are parents with grown children. Each of us has the God-given job of passing a legacy of faith in Christ to our children and grandchildren.

Model & Tell This Important Message

It is far, far too easy to let the world and it's value system - and even other grandparents/ parents and the things they do influence the way we see and think about ourselves. If we are not as able as some grandparents /parents to attend conferences, travel, invest, spend money, give gifts . . . the list goes on . . . we may fall into the trap of determining ourselves as having less worth and value. But, as Joyce Meyer says, we need to determine our worth and value by what God's Word has to say about us. For us to do this, we need to know what it is God's Word has to say about us. Consider the following . . .

We all have moments in our life which stand out to us as some of the most precious moments of our lives - such as the birth of our children and grandchildren, the first time they smiled, walked, talked, when they ran to us and snuggled in our laps, their first day of school, and so many more. We know those moments were precious - gifts from the hand of God which we remember and treasure.

Be the Wise One

What does it mean to be "wise"? Certainly we want to be the "wise ones" in the lives of our children and grandchildren, but if we are going to be the "wise one" with whom our they are able to walk, we need to know what it means and looks like for us to be wise. The best place to learn what this means is the Bible and I especially love how God puts it in James 3:17 . . .

It is far too easy for us to take for granted the many blessings God has given to us; His lavish gifts. We may even become so busy with our day-to-day life, we stop noticing the uniqueness of God's creation and the many blessings, big and small, which fill our lives.

If we want our grandchildren and/or children to be people who see and appreciate God's lavish gifts in their lives, then we need to model this to them as we see, appreciate and delight in all God has given to us. Consider the following simple ways we are able to model what it is like to live each day as someone who sees God's unique creation and delights in His lavish gifts . . .

Make it an Unending Habit of Your Heart - and Theirs, Too

I love this quote from Stormie Omartian - "As you pray for your (grand)children, you will find it to be an unending habit of your heart." An, "unending habit of your heart", what could possibly be better?

I personally love the "Memories" tab on my facebook page. Each morning I look to see the things which happened on this date which I posted on facebook in previous years. I love the photos of my family members, I love the stories about the things they said and/or did. For example, this morning when I read it, I was blessed to remember six years ago when my middle grandson was two. He was at my house and we went outside to get in my car to go pick up his brother from school. It was a windy day and he said; "Grandma!!!! The wind is going to blow me away!" I held his hand firmly and told him I would never let the wind blow him away. It brings joy to my heart to remember the many blessings and challenges as well - big and small which have been part of my life. My children (of course) and my grandchildren are growing, so these photos and accounts of when they were younger are a delight for me to see as I savor the memories.

Heritage is So Much More

I am surrounded by tangible memories of my heritage. The house in which my husband and I live is the house my grandparents built, the house in which my dad was born, the house where I went as a child for sleepovers at my grandparents and is the house in this photo. I remember my grandma's parakeets, her bay window full of violets (I did not inherit her green-thumb - I have a black-thumb of death, so there are no violets in my window!), I remember my grandma baking in the kitchen and giving us fresh-from-the-oven homemade bread with peanut butter on it for a treat! My husband and I raised our two children in this house and now our grandsons come here for sleepovers. It has been in my family for almost 100 years. As I said, I am surrounded by wonderful memories and my family heritage.

My grandsons are young - ages six, eight and eleven, but even though they are young, they are starting to think about what they might like to "be" when they grow up. The youngest one is not sure yet (although when he was three, four and five he was certain he wanted to be a pastor with a yellow car, yellow motorcycle and a paint gun!) My middle grandson wants to be a scientist (he loves rocks and just built his own first Tesla coil - yes, he is eight.) My oldest grandson is interested in something with tech (he has excellent tech abilities.) Time will tell what they do, but they are all thinking about the future and the things they are interested in doing as they grow up.

Speak Into Their Lives & Help Shape Their Hearts

There are many reasons for us to nurture our relationships with our children and grandchildren, but one of the most important reasons is, by doing so we will be able to speak into their lives and help shape their hearts. When we have a strong, healthy relationship with them, we are able to impact and influence them and this matters.

I love seeing true prayer as a, "spiritual transaction with the Creator of Heaven and Earth." It is not a duty, or task, it is something deep with profound value, because it is this "spiritual transaction" between God and us.

If you wonder how and/or what to pray for the ones you love, consider this prayer from Psalms 25:4,5 -

Teach - Do Not Forget

If you wonder what it is God wants you to do as a grandma (or grandpa - and parents, too), just take a look at this verse from Deuteronomy 4; God tells us to . . .

Our grandchildren (and grown children, too) need to know we love them. They need the confidence of no matter how often or badly they mess up, their grandparents will still love them and believe they are wonderful. When they are able to rest secure in this belief, it will make a significant difference in their lives.

Father God,

We pray our grandchildren are honest about and learn from their mistakes. Let them be willing to confess their faults, accept responsibility for their wrongdoings and understand the subsequent consequences of these transgressions. Let them begin anew, freed from shame.

What Do I Want My Life to Count For?

We all want our lives to matter, but for us to live lives which matter and for us to leave a legacy which will never die, we have to make wise choices between what does not last and what are the most significant things we are able to do with the time we are given. We need to know what we want our life to count for and then seek out the things we are able to do, so we are certain to leave a lasting legacy.

Children are like sponges - they soak up the things we say to them and when those things are encouraging, they grow. As Linda said, when we tell them "You did it!" it gives the children we love a shot of serotonin, the feel-good chemical in their brain. This is the way we want our grandchildren/children to grow - being encouraged and built up and this is one of the most important things we grandmas (grandpas/ parents) are able to do for them.

Be Their Influence

Who are the most influential people in the lives of your grandchildren/ children? Well, according to Barna, the top five influences in the life of young people are . . .

I am a most blessed grandma, one reason I am blessed is because I live close to my grandsons (about a ten minute drive) and they spend time with me in the Summer when their parents are at work. This past Summer the boys were at my house when my youngest grandson asked me; "Grandma, how do you do that?" I didn't know what I was doing, so I asked him. He said; "You smile all the time. How do you do it?" I did not realize I smile all the time, so I told him this, but then said; "I am happy you boys are at my house, I do love having you here, so my happiness must show on my face."

You Are Serving God - What You Do Matters

I love this quote from Charles Spurgeon - we grandmas (and moms - and poppas and dads who hand down faith, too) have value, incredible value, and we are able to do extremely important things . . . such as hand the faith to the children we love. When we do this, we are absolutely serving God and what we do matters.

As grandmas (and grandpas/ parents) there are many important truths we want to share with the children we love. When we were children we heard these truths at school, and even from many television shows, but more and more often, if we do not share these truths with them, it is possible no one will. Not only is it possible no one will share truth with them, it is possible there may be people who tell them things which are not true. We want the children we love to hear and believe the truth, so we have to be intentional about teaching the truth and not leave it to chance.

Hand Down the Faith with Prayer Handprints

If you have been reading Grandmas with Heart, it does not take long to realize we care very much about handing down a heritage of faith to the sweet grandchildren with whom we have been blessed by God. It also does not take long to see we care about praying for them. We know God hears, listens to, and answers our prayers - it is the most powerful thing we are able to do for our loved grandchildren. So, when I found the following idea on Pinterest I knew I had to share it with you, because it is one of the best ideas I've found anywhere!

Our grandchildren and/or children are in the process of growing, learning and becoming the people God planned for them to be. As they grow, we often are able to see glimpses of who they are growing to be - maybe they love science, tech and/or humor - as do my grandsons. Perhaps they have a tender heart and are quick to help, give, and encourage others. All of these things are part of who they are now and give us those glimpses of who they are growing to be as well.

Ask God to Make a Show of His Great Love

There are many things we are able to do as grandmas which make a significant difference in the lives of our children and grandchildren, but one big one is for us to "bless" them. Now, if you did not grow up receiving Scripture blessings as a child, or if you have not been taught what it is to bless or how to do it, honestly it may be a a challenge to get in the "habit". I did not grow up with this and did not even know about it until a few years ago, so I find making this a part of what I always do with my grandsons is something challenging. However; it absolutely is something I want to be part of what I do with them. I understand the whys for it and so one of the things I want to do with them this year, is make giving a Scripture blessing a part of what happens at poppa and grandma's house.

I love the feature on facebook called, "Memories" where it shows each day things I wrote or shared on the same day in previous years. When posts/photos of my grandchildren show up I nearly always am amazed to see how much they have grown. I wonder at how time has flown and enjoy seeing and reading about when they were younger.

The Most Important "Things"

As parents it may be easy to become so focused upon the day-in-day-out busyness of family, work and everything else in our lives, we are able to lose focus upon what matters the most. As grandparents it may be easy to become so focused upon retiring and how there are fewer days before us than there are behind us, we also lose focus upon what matters the most. When this happens we do not spend our time where it matters the most; we do not focus upon the ones who are the most important and our most important "job".

I personally love reading the Book of Psalms - it connects to so many parts of life and helps me see a much better view of God. But, along with reading it, praying it for my life and the lives of the ones I love is one of the best things to do with the Psalms - along with teaching the children you love how to pray.

Psalms 92 is one of my favorite passages to read and to pray, so today, and as you go through this week, consider making it part of your prayer time . . .

Hand Down the Faith - It Matters Now & For Generations Yet to Come

When it comes to handing down the faith, there are several things we want to accomplish. First, of course, is to bring the ones we love to where they are able to make the choice to believe in Jesus. This means we have to be ready at all times to teach them the truth about Who God is and how they are able to believe in Him and trust His Word to be true.

Cathy Jacobs is one of our Grandmas with Heart; she is also the founder of Pass the Legacy Ministry, the author of of February Book of the Month - PASS THE LEGACY: 7 Keys for Grandparents Making a Difference and one of the founder of the Legacy Coalition.

Lord Jesus,

You are the essence of forgiveness, all that is wholesome and good. Therefore, we come to You today, humbling ourselves and praying for our relationship with, the “other grandparents.”

Creation Shows God's Precision, Design & How We are Able to Trust Him

Here where I live it still looks Wintry outside. While we have had a mild Winter, there are a few inches of snow on the ground and the trees have not yet begun to bud. But, while today is just 23 degrees outside, in another week or two we will probably be experiencing a "heat wave" as it should be in the 40's with warmer weather ahead from there. Spring will be upon us before we know it!

I live in the country - farms, woods, creeks, lakes are my "neighbors" and so for us it is very easy to see, and enjoy God's amazing creation when we just look outside my windows. Most days we see deer, sometimes wild turkeys. We hear coyotes in the evening and sometimes see fox. Across the street there are woods, and as I mentioned, it won't be long before the trees will be covered in leaves and the beauty of Spring will be everywhere we look.

But, whether you live in the country, on a mountain, by the ocean or in a city, God's amazing, precise, planned, intentional, designed, ordered creation is all around us and we are able to point it out to the children we love, so they are able to see God is a God of order, precision and design - and so is the world around us. Consider the following information . . .

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and for many of us grandmas (and grandpas, parents), it was a day to celebrate our love for the children we love with cards, treats or small gifts. Yesterday we may have enjoyed celebrating with them, but today is a great day to remember to do the thing which matters the most - pray for the ones you love. Prayer is the best gift you will give them; and if you do not pray for them, who will?

Happy Valentine's Day from Grandmas with Heart

On this day when we think about the love we have for others, just look at how Zephaniah 3:17 describes God's love for us, and the ones we love -

An ever increasing number of parents are finding their grown sons and/or daughters and/or grown grandchildren, who once walked faithfully with God when they were younger, are turning away from a walk with God as they grow older. This leaves the parents with many questions and if this is you, I would like to encourage you today with these verses from Isaiah 44:2,3 . . .

Today is Valentine's Day and is a wonderful day to stop and remember the best gift we will ever give the ones we love - our presence. When we give our time to them, we are giving ourselves to them, and like Gary Chapman said, we are giving them the powerful message which says; "You are important. I like being with you." What gift could possibly be better? How might you "give yourself" to the ones you love? Consider the following possibilities . . .

Disturb the Present. Better the Future

We want the future to be better for our grandchildren; what grandparent does not? So, we have to be intentional about shaking up the status quo of the present; we need to motivate our grandchildren to walk and talk with God now, so they grow in their walk with and trust in God and become people who love Him and others. How might we do this? Consider the following . . .

Today I'd like to encourage you with this quote from Max Lucado - None of us pray as much as we should, but all of us pray more than we think, because the Holy Spirit turns our sighs into petitions and our tears into entreaties. He makes sure you get heard!

Learn Life's Greatest Lessons

God, of course, knew what He was doing when He put the children He chose for you, into your life. The children in your life are not there by accident - they are there for a purpose; and God promises His purposes for you and for them are for your good, to bring you all hope and a future. They learn truth and how to know, walk and talk with God from us and we learn much about life, love, purpose, meaning and priority from them. Definitely purposes for our good which bring us hope and a future!

God's plan for children is for them to grow up being influenced and taught by the generations who came before them - by their parents and grandparents. While a focused Children's Ministry and Youth Ministry are able to help in the handing down of the faith, the primary responsibility - and the ones who are able to make the biggest impact - lies with the parents and grandparents.

Believe the Truth About Prayer

When do you pray? Is prayer an essential part of each day for you, or is it something you "tag" on to your day and put wherever you happen to think about it? I have friends who are serious prayer warriors, but I spent most of my life struggling with prayer; how to pray and praying daily. I understand what it feels like to think my prayers do not even make it past the roof of my house. But, this is not the truth. My prayers make it to the most important, "place" . . . they make it to the ears of God. Every, single time.

If Satan is able to deceive us into believing prayer is too hard, we do not know how to pray, God does not hear our prayers and we do not have time to pray, then we will not pray. We need to focus upon the truth when it comes to prayer and the following is the truth about prayer . . .

Jeremiah 29:11-14 is a passage I have shared with my grandsons on many occasions. So much so, they now mention to me how they know God hears their prayers, answers their prayers and has good plans for them. When I feel discouraged, I remember this - my grandsons are remembering, and taking to heart, God's Word!

Consider taking time to pray this verse for your children/grown children/grandchildren today: pray they will find their strength in God and learn to put their trust in Him.

You Are Able to Make a Difference

My grandsons are praying through the Psalms for one year using the book they helped me create - Praying Deeper Through the Psalms for Children. Yesterday we were talking about the passage for this week - Psalm 27:7-14 - and how they are able to ask God to hear their prayers. My six-year old grandsons said; "I don't have to ask God to hear my prayers, because He has already promised to hear me when I pray." Then his brothers all agreed! My heart was so happy! We talked more about how David, who wrote most of Psalms, often asked God to hear his prayers and we may do the same, or instead, we could thank God for hearing our prayers - which is what my grandsons decided they will do this week. My heart is so very happy!

I love how my grandsons are learning to talk with God. I love how we are able to have some amazing conversations together. I love how they are growing in their understanding and trust in God. Did I mention how extremely happy my heart is!

I originally shared this post with you last year. I shared how my church has a very large Special Needs Ministry and I involved my grandsons with a project to show love to the people in this ministry as they arrived for their Wednesday evening service. My grandsons and I made origami boxes and hearts - each box had one heart in it - then the boys gave one to each person as they arrived; along with a smile and the encouragement - "God loves you!" Each person who received a box/heart left with such a big smile and my grandsons were able to experience what it is like to brighten the day of others!

I recently read an article in HomeFront Magazine by Gary Smalley. In it he told how one of his grandsons was feeling frustrated with his mom and said he didn't know how he was going to "live through" all the rules in his home. Gary went on to share how over the following year he helped his grandson build a foundation on Romans 5:3-5. They thought about, learned and meditated upon these verses and as a result, his grandson learned to take a different perspective, change his thinking and show it in his actions. (You will find the full article at this link.)

Accept the Challenge - Figure Out the Combination

It is my great joy to spend time with my grandsons and, joy of joys, it is also my challenge and job from God to do so! Think about it; God is a God of order and reason - there are reasons for everything He does. We see this in the world around us and it makes sense to believe He gave us the children and/or grandchildren we have for specific reasons as well. We are not their parents/ grandparents for no reason or just by chance. God created the children we love with specific plans for their good. He planned everything about them from the color of their hair and eyes to the way they love playing the saxophone, climbing rocks or telling funny jokes.They are each unique creations, designed by God and made exactly the way they need to be.

As grandparents and parents who love our grandchildren and children and who are committed to handing down the faith to them, we are most certainly invested in their welfare. We know the generations who follow us are most able to have a joy-filled life when the know, love, walk and talk with God, so of all the things we may do with the time we have left, we know the best use and most fulfilling use of our time is when we invest in their lives and are purposeful about handing down the faith. This means we . . .

Heavenly Father,

We pray our grandchildren have a spirit of kindness and generosity. Let them treat their siblings, classmates and friends with “compassion, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12, NIV). Let them remember to “do good and to share what they have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).

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Saturday, February 29, 2020

Friday, February 28, 2020

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Monday, February 24, 2020

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Friday, February 21, 2020

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Monday, February 17, 2020

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Friday, February 14, 2020

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Monday, February 10, 2020

Sunday, February 9, 2020

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