American author Alex Haley wrote, “Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” I don’t know about “stardust,” but Haley’s comment highlights the grand calling of grandparenting.

God also has a grand view of grandparenting. According to Proverbs 17:6, “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged.” Grandchildren are special gifts to us.

As grandparents, we bring to our role the assets we’ve accumulated from living life and paying attention along the way. We hopefully have a measure of wisdom by this time that can be useful in relating to our adult children and their children. There’s something positive about the lines around our eyes and the gray hair (or lack of hair) that we now sport. Our life experience enables us to encourage grandchildren who may be going through tough times. We can tell them they will get through it because we have too.

As I consider the importance of my “grand calling,” I have adopted some guiding principles. First, I will make decisions from an eternal perspective. My grandchildren (and yours) must understand that life here on earth isn’t all there is. They need to see our consistent confidence in the truth of God’s Word and our salvation through Jesus. I want them to see me as one who loves people and uses things, not the other way around. It’s not that money and things have no place since they may result from hard work, but they are not the most important thing.

Secondly, I will honor my family’s reputation by living a life of integrity, publicly and privately. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them.” A consistent lifestyle of integrity in our choices and decisions is a valuable legacy to pass along to our grandchildren.

Thirdly, I will leave clear tracks for them to follow. I want them to see me choosing grace, backing up my words with actions, avoiding cynicism and demonstrating faithful living. We can show them how to avoid a self-indulgent life and how to invest their time serving God and others. Psalm 78:4 undergirds this grand calling we have.

“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders” (New Living Translation).

Finally, I will leave a legacy of love. This is the motivator for all the others. It’s a “grand” love seasoned and tempered with years of maturity, experience and perspective. Perhaps, the love we offer our grandchildren may be closer to what we wish we could have given our children. We’re more likely to love our grandchildren with less need for them to meet an unrealistic performance standard.

It’s been said that being a grandparent has all the perks of being a parent without all the responsibilities. I hope you see something more than that. You have a grand and significant calling in the life of your grandchildren. Embrace it to the best of your ability.