Becoming a Grandma

December 8, 2023….a day that I’ll never forget for as long as I live. It was the day that I experienced God’s circle of life in a new role. At 8:53 pm, Brandon Scott Reno was born. And in that moment I became, not just a momma anymore, but a grandmomma, or as “Little B”, aka Brandon, will call me ….”Grandma”. God is so very good and I am so thankful for all His amazing gifts. Every child is a gift from God. Rhiannon Brooke, our special gift from God, our baby girl, grew up and married Jayden Scott Reno, another special gift from God, and they brought our family another special gift from God in little Brandon. It is hard to fathom. I blinked and here we are. When I went into that hospital room and looked at the sweet face of my grandson for the first time, life literally passed before my eyes at that moment. Rhiannon went from being placed on my chest at 2:30 am on March 24, 1999 to having her son placed on her chest at 8:53 pm on December 8, 2023. Where did 24 years go? Like I said….I blinked.

In Proverbs 17:6 (NLT), the Bible says, “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.” I’ve been trying to put together in my mind the events of Friday, December 8, 2023 and this verse. When I think of the word “crown”, I automatically think of the “crown of life” that Jesus spoke of in Revelation 2:10. The “crown of life” is the reward from God for living our lives in faithful service to God. I can’t help but think of a grandchild as a reward in a way. As Christian parents, we try so very hard to raise our children to, first and foremost, be faithful Christians who put God and His church first, but also to be self-reliant and independent in their everyday lives. We try to instill in them that fulfilling God’s purpose for their lives and making it to heaven is really all that matters at the end of this life, while still teaching them to work hard for what they want out of life. It is a balancing act sometimes to put God first and also strive for success in life. And don’t let the world fool you, it can be done. God doesn’t expect anything from us that we can’t do. Plus….the Christian life is the very best life. It is definitely in our best interest and our children’s best interest to have God at the top of our priority list. In reality, having God as number one, and everyone and everything else next in line behind Him, causes everything to fall into place perfectly. If you have God first, then you will be a great spouse, a great parent, a great son or daughter, a great friend, a great employee, etc. It is when we don’t have God first that other areas of our lives start to slip. All this is what we try to teach our children. But…the thing is….we aren’t perfect parents, any of us, and we don’t always keep things in order the way we should. The key is that our kids see us making the effort every day. We make EVERY effort. I know my kids have seen me fail miserably at times. You see……they see us fail and fix it, and then fail and fix it again….over and over. They learn from our successes and our failures as parents. And hopefully someday, when we become grandparents, and they become parents, we can see them trying to teach the same things to their children that we taught to them. That is the crowning glory that the Bible is speaking of. It is the fruition of all the work that we put into raising our own children. The “crowning glory” is seeing our kids teach their own kids to put God first. We bear fruit for God in our children and grandchildren if we raise them to be faithful Christians.

The second part of Proverbs 17:6 says, “parents are the pride of their children”. I think about my own parents and how hard they worked to raise me to be both a faithful Christian and a hard-working productive member of society. I didn’t make it easy on them sometimes, that’s for sure! Did I raise my children exactly the same way that I was raised? No, I put my own spin on it as we all do. However, I did try my best to raise them to be faithful Christians, in just the same way that I was raised. Their example molded me and I’m so thankful for it. I have the best parents anyone could ever ask for. They are selfless. I didn’t really realize the love that my parents had for me until I had my own children. And now that I’m a grandma, I realize the love that my parents have for my children. Wow. Bless their hearts. I’m so proud that they are my parents and my children’s grandparents. And what was it like to see them hold their new great-grandson, you ask? That…my friends….was priceless. And there is the “pride” that Proverbs 17:6 is referring to.

The love that I have for my kids is immeasurable. I didn’t think I could love anyone in the same way that I love my kids, that is…..until Brandon was born this past Friday night. And I certainly love him immeasurably. And it will be the same for all my future grandchildren. I have room in my heart for as many as God’s will allows. My cup runneth over. I am so blessed. 

I leave you with the second verse of the hymn, “Because He Lives”. This verse brings so many emotions back for me. I remember my dad leading this song at church after both my babies were born. Not sure if he did that on purpose or if it just happened by coincidence, but it made an impact on me. 

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,

And feel the pride and joy he/she brings;

But greater still the calm assurance:

This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!

I know that I was in the middle of a series on “Abiding in Christ”. I will pick back up on that in a couple of weeks. I’m going to continue to write about being a grandparent for a bit. It has been life changing for me. Next week, I will write about the influence of my grandma and my grandmother in my life and write about the role of Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, in his life.

Are you in Christ? Are you a branch connected to the true vine, which is Jesus Christ? (John 15:1-8) Below I have added God’s plan of salvation with scripture references. If you need help understanding how to be saved, please reach out. I can help you or put you in contact with someone who can help you.

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His word, for mankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)