Grandparenthood

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. ...  (2 Timothy 1:5) May you live to see your children's children-- peace be on Israel. (Psalm 128:6) Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. (Pr. 17:6) But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children-- (Psalm 103:17) 25After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, 26I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed.  (Deuteronomy 4) Thoughts: Just to live long enough to see grandchildren is a blessing from God.  When the Old Testament was written, the average person lived until 27.  There was much infant morality, famine, disease, war, and death in child birth.  Today, we may take seeing our grandchildren for granted as the average person lives until they are 73. So we take things for granted- which was the problem alluded to in Deuteronomy 4.        Having grandchildren is a blessing if we pass on our faith and idea of righteousness on to them.  But if we take them for granted and ignore the Lord, we open ourselves up to trouble.        Lois was Timothy's grandmother.  The faith first lived in her.  She passed it on to her daughter Eunice.  They both passed it on to Timothy their grandson/son.  She is an example to us all.  Eunice was obviously willing to let Lois pass the faith on.  But Lois obviously wanted to pass this on and looked for an opportunity to do so. Prayer: Lord, bless the grandparents with a desire to teach their grandchildren the faith they need.  Help us not to take grandchildren for granted but to be good stewards of the gift they are to us.