5 Ways to Teach Grandchildren Kindness as a Priority

By Andy Oldham

“The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of a Christian. The Bible makes it clear that everyone receives the Holy Spirit the moment he or she believes in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14). One of the primary purposes of the Holy Spirit coming into a Christian’s life is to change that life. It is the Holy Spirit’s job to conform us to the image of Christ, making us more like Him.”

“In Galatians 5:22-23 we find a lists of the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is simply the resulting character of someone who is allowing the Holy Spirit to develop maturity in his or her life. The fifth characteristic, kindness, is called “gentleness” in the KJV.”

Kindness is derived from the Greek word, chrēstotēs. It means benignity. Huh? Don’t worry, I had to look it up too. It simply means tender concern, uprightness. It is kindness of heart and kindness of act. God was led to provide salvation for us through His very character, of which part is kindness (Titus 3:4-5; Romans 2:4; 11:22).

How can we encourage the development of this fruit in the lives of our children and grandchildren?

1. 1. Talk about it: There will be opportunity after opportunity in your relationship with your grandchildren. Moments that they are angry, upset, or don’t know quite what to do. Are you prepared with answers? Whether with thier sibling, cousin or a friend, seize the moment! Discuss kindness in your own way. Discuss importance of kindness is in the eyes of God and how we should make it a priority in our lives (learn the scriptures above).

1. 2. Take a second out of your day and make a habit out of sending an uplifting text. This plants a caring attitude in their heart. Kids need to know you are there when they are down, and when they are up. We should be ready to remind them that the Lord is by their side too.

1. 3. Send it through the mail: If there is one thing this younger generation has never known—it is the excitement of receiving a letter through the mail. This provides another way to express gratitude to others. Make a habit of doing this regularly, not just once. It will teach kindness through communicating with others, and without an electronic device. It will also leave them with part of you.

1. 4. Demonstrate it with words of kindness toward others: I will never forget the words my Papaw spoke. I was a child when we were backing out of his driveway. A car was coming and the woman got close to the driveway, she  stopped  waving for us to back out first. “Isn’t that a kind person, to let us go first,” he said. Now that seems like minute detail to remember but I still carry his words today. When the grands are with you shopping, playing, or going to a ballgame, or just backing out of the driveway, demonstrate kindness in your actions. Your fruit of the Spirit, Kindness, radiates the love of Christ, not only to others but also to your grands. They will not forget!

5. Give what is available to give: I once owned my own landscape company. I was pruning shrubs in front of a business, when a strange, dirty man walked up and asked me for money. He said he was hungry. I walked with him next door to Shoney’s and bought him the breakfast buffet, and a glass of milk and orange juice. After he was finished he walked out to thank me for my kindness. When you feed the hungry, God’s blessings fall all over your with tingling nerves while God smiles down on you. It is what it means to love one another. Why not share encounters like this with your grands? Ask them what they would have done for the man. Then discuss your actions and ask what they thought about them. As much as your grandchildren love your stories, they love being with you. When they are with you it is a great opportunity to provide instruction (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

These five small actions embed themselves in the hearts of our grandchildren. It spurns in their hearts to look for additional ways to love others. Their attitude will influence kindness to action in others. It is part of the legacy you leave with them.

“When we exhibit the kindness of God, we are tender, benevolent, and useful to others. Every action, every word will have the flavor of grace in it. To maintain this attitude toward those we love is hard enough. To express kindness toward those who are against us requires the work of God (2 Corinthians 6:4-6). That is why kindness is a fruit of the Spirit.”

When kindness is developed early in our Christian walk, this gift will make it easier to share kindness toward those . . . by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God;…

Note: There are many ways to teach our grands the gift of kindness. Can you share some others that we can apply in our lives?

Ref.

1. Gotquestions.org; What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit?
2. Gotquestions.org; The Fruit of the Holy Spirit; What is kindness?

Andy Oldham is the founder and co-creator of Christian Grandfather Magazine. He received his B.A. in religious studies and education from Anderson University. He has served as pastor to senior adults, and fills pulpits when needed. Andy taught memoir classes at the local library and after writing his personal memoirs wrote Everlasting Cronies, a story of growing up in rural Louisiana. His inspirational column in the Northside Sun Newspaper was well received by his community. A poem, Winters Grace has been honored in first place, by the Mississippi Poetry Society. He and his wife, Barbara, have six grandchildren and enjoy retirement in Mississippi

 Feature Photo by Filip Urban on Unsplash