My husband, Mark, did a project awhile back with two of our grandsons. They wanted to make a simple telegraph device, so Papa agreed to help them. They had a great time working in the shop together, and made a wonderful memory. When they were done they could actually send messages to each other. What fun!

The most important message that was sent was “I love you, and you are worth spending time with.” Of course they also learned other things about using their hands and having the confidence to try new things. Let me just say that we can never underestimate the power of spending quality time with our kids or grandkids!

Grandparents can play a very special role in their grandchildren’s lives. We can encourage, build self esteem, show them how to do various tasks, teach them godly principles, model for them how important God is in our decisions, tell them stories of how God has worked in our lives, and most of all we can give them unconditional love.

The time in the shop with Papa is one example. Here is another. We are planning to move to a smaller house – 5 bedrooms for two people is a bit much. We recently took our daughter and grandkids to look at a house we were considering. They ran around the empty house, rolling on the carpets and having a blast while we discussed the pros and cons of the house. When we were done and standing out front, I asked our daughter and each of the kids if they thought this was God’s house for us.

What are the messages that I was sending? God is important to us. I want to know what He thinks about this house. His sheep hear His voice, and you are sheep, so I want to know what you are hearing. Your voice matters.

When we bring our God-walk into the everyday things of our lives, our children and grand children notice. We don’t have to preach at them, because we are sending messages all the time. I hope your are sending the best messages to the lives on the other end of your telegraph machine.

Blessings,
Linnea