Grandparents: God's Ambassadors
God has given me ten precious grandchildren, ten gifts from Heaven. Most are teenagers or adults, and I am very concerned about the world they are living in today. I wonder what the future holds for them in a world filled with turmoil, evil, many uncertainties, and pressures.
Our grandchildren face a godless culture in many ways. They hear God is not welcome in their schools, in many public areas, and on TV. They have the world at their fingertips in this vast digital and social media culture, which opens up many doors for them, some good and some bad! Even at an early age, the tech world gives children the opportunity to develop a somewhat private world, separate from their family life.
Taking my grandchildren out for dinner involves a lot of phones and iPads at the dinner table, instead of engaging in laughter or conversation. We try to balance that all out at our homes by playing board games or our favorite card games when we spend time together, or even lawn games when we can outside.
A 2016 report by Kelly Wallace on CNN, stated that teens in the US spend about nine hours a day using media for recreation – this includes TV, videos, movies, video games, reading, listening to music, and checking social media. These reported hours do not include time spent using media at school or for homework.
I pray daily for Heavenly intervention for my grandchildren and children to seek and follow the path of light, not the path of darkness that the world is steeped in. I pray for their future, that they will have the courage to live out what they believe in their hearts is God's calling for them, their mission in life, their direction for their future.
Scripture tells us in , "We are ambassadors for Christ." Paul tells us we are reconciled, united with God through Christ; and we are entrusted with the ministry of helping others to be reconciled through Christ.
It is comforting to know we can be God's ambassadors for our grandchildren! We can encourage our grandchildren to share their thoughts, feelings, and fears they put on social media with their Lord and Savior instead.
I love to quote this Scripture to them from , "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" I ask my grandchildren what values and virtues they feel they possess since they are God's living temples? Most of the time, they are quick to answer!
As I was driving to church one day, I thought of how we grandparents all over the world have so much in common with concerns for our grandchildren. And we certainly feel some of their pain and anxieties. We walk the same road. I thought about doing an inspirational video for grandparents. I asked the Lord if this was what He wanted me to do. Still driving, I started to doubt that other grandparents would look at this video at all - a video about praying for our grandchildren. Much to my surprise, the sermon that day started with these words: "No matter how bad things are in the world, don't ever give up on the power of prayer. Don't ever give up on prayer!" My answer was loud and clear.
How exciting to know we can take on this great role of being an ambassador for Christ!
Copyright 2016 Annamarie Short. Used by permission.
