From Disappointment To His-Appointment

But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you
a remnant on earth to save your lives by a great deliverance. 
Genesis 45:7

Joseph has always been one of

 my favorite and well-respected Bible characters. His willingness and ability to play the hand he had been dealt has greatly impressed me. Except for one recorded incident, the Bible does not portray him as one who complained about his many misfortunes. In fact, Joseph was quite gifted in making the best lemonade from the bitterest lemons. Having humbled himself under the mighty hand of God, he was eventually exalted to second in command under Pharaoh.

Life has its way of moving in directions that we could never expect. Like Joseph, we find ourselves in situations that seem unfair. I remember feeling this way when I was left to raise my two sons alone. Although it was not my desire to do so, God saw fit to bless me with this ministry.

Today, many grandparents are facing a second round of parenting as they struggle to raise their grandchildren. Insecure and ill-prepared adult children are throwing the parenting baton to the ground, leaving their parents with the huge responsibility of rearing their children. This certainly is not what grandparents have expected. At the very season they should be planning cruises, instead, they are hanging out at the playground.

How should grandparents respond to such unfairness? Many are bitter because both their golden years and their finances are being absorbed raising a second family. However, I believe that like Joseph, grandparents can be wonderfully used to touch the future through these challenging circumstances. In other words, God can take them from disappointment to His-appointment.

Psalm 139:16 reminds us that all the days of our lives were recorded in God’s book before any of them came to be. This indicates that God had already planned for and preserved a generation of grandparents to pick up the baton and raise their grandchildren.

I have found that there may be several benefits that can be derived from this “parenting-again” role, such as: having a greater purpose for living; having the chance to raise the grandchild differently than they did their own adult children; receiving love and companionship from grandchildren; re-connecting generations that have been broken; continuing family histories, and feeling younger because the grandchildren are present in the home.

Just as Joseph was sent ahead to preserve a remnant for God’s purposes, some grandparents are called by God to accomplish this very same thing. But usually when we hear about grandparents having to raise their grandchildren, we tend to sigh and say, “That’s a shame!” But, is it? In God’s great mercy, He is raising up grandparents to pass down to their grandchildren the memorial stones of God’s faithfulness. I cannot think of any greater ministry for God’s kingdom than grandparents who are called to live out their golden years impacting their grandchildren’s lives for Christ sake. So, if you are a grandparent who feels “stuck” raising your grandchildren, rejoice that God has entrusted you with so great a ministry. I am grateful for all the grandparents who have entered into this role. In fact, at this writing, I am personally joining the ranks of grandparents who are picking up dropped batons in preparation for the next generation. I echo Paul’s words in 1Timothy 1:12: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who gives me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.” And part of that service includes raising my three grandchildren.

Prayer: Dear God, as you appoint grandparents to raise or provide day care for their grandchildren, please grant them the grace, patience, and faithfulness necessary to accomplish this important calling. Teach them to embrace this calling with a positive attitude. May they cherish this opportunity to impact the next generation for the kingdom of God---a generation that could otherwise be lost. Impress upon the church the need to walk beside these grandparents in support of this difficult calling. May we ever encourage them to persevere as they press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Amen.