Life moves swiftly, but nothing highlights the passage of time like watching your children become parents. Recently, I had the profound joy of welcoming two new grandchildren into the world, one baby boy and one baby girl. My daughters, married just six months apart, found themselves expecting just days apart. Yet, life had its own timeline, and the little boy arrived early, making them about three weeks apart. And the story doesn’t end there—my son is also expecting a child in six months.
It’s surreal.
I have nurtured, guided, and prayed over my children for years. I have watched them grow, helped them navigate challenges, and instilled in them the values of faith, love, and perseverance. As a Christian parent, I baptized them, read them Bible stories, and prayed with them at night. And now, almost in an instant, they are parents themselves.
And then, there is that moment—the first time I held my grandchild.
Looking down at their tiny faces, I saw something I didn’t expect. I saw my child. In an instant, all the memories came rushing back—the first time I held my own son or daughter, the sleepless nights, the scraped knees, the bedtime prayers, and the laughter that filled our home. It was as if time folded in on itself, and past and present collided. How could it be that the little hands I once held are now the hands raising a child of their own?
With the birth of a new generation comes an awakening to the reality of time. I am moving into a new role—not just as a mom, but as a nana. My children are now stepping into the very space I once occupied, and I see both their joy and the immense responsibility they carry. Parenthood is not for the faint of heart, and I now find myself not only as their mom but also as a mentor in their parenting journeys.
And in all of this, I reflect on my own parents. They, too, have aged, just as I am aging. Generations shift, but the hope we have in Christ remains constant. It is the anchor that holds us steady as time moves forward.
“We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” — Psalm 78:4 (NIV)
Every believer’s call is to pass down the faith, not just in words but in the way we live. My grandchildren will learn about Jesus not just from the Bible stories their parents read to them, but by watching how we, as a family, love, serve, and trust in God. They will watch how we treat one another, react in times of trouble, and continue to seek the Lord in all seasons.
As I step into this new season, I pray for wisdom. Wisdom to support my children as they raise their own. Wisdom to guide but not overshadow. Wisdom to love but not interfere. Most importantly, we need wisdom to continue pointing to our God, who sustains us all.
For me, the next generation has arrived, with them, a new hope. May I steward it well.
(Psalm 103:17 (NIV)) But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.
