3 Ways Our Grandchildren Are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Not many things testify to God’s craftsmanship better than the human body. Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
As our grandchildren mature, we mark their growth.
Inches gained in height.
Teeth gained and lost and gained again.
We hand out Band-aids for the inevitable scrapes and commiserate over a broken bone and the new cast.
Is there room for Jesus in these conversations? Absolutely.
1. Hair
Remember those pictures of your child’s first haircut? Here are some fun facts about hair.
One strand of hair can bear up to 6 1/2 lbs.
Hair grows about half an inch each month.
Each head of human hair has anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 hair follicles.
Luke 12:7 says, “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
God knows each of us that well, whether that hair belongs to a grandchild who dyed it purple or to a grandparent who’s gone gray. It’s a truth we all need to hear.
2. Bones
A broken bone is a common childhood occurrence, so let’s talk bones.
One interesting stat about bones is we lose them as we grow. Infants start life with about 300 bones. Many fuse together, leaving us with 206.
One quarter of all of our bones (52) are in our feet: 14 phalanges, 7 tarsals, and 5 metatarsals per foot, combining for a total of 52 between, not to mention 33 joints and hundreds of ligaments.
Scripture has a lot to say about bones. Here’s a sampling from the book of Proverbs.
Proverbs 3:7-8 says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
Proverbs 14:30 reads, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”
Proverbs 16:24 reads, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
Wow, obedience affects our health?
Our heart attitudes affect our bones?
And the right words can bring healing? Physical and mental health share a link.
3. Tongue
Speaking of words, let’s talk about the tongue.
The tongue has 8 interwoven muscles, four that enable the tongue to change shape and four that enable the tongue to change position.
Taste buds regenerate every 10-14 days. Taste buds can sense salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami (savory) flavors.
Every tongue has a unique print.
The mouth heals quickly because of the high blood flow there.
We can’t even begin to taste food until saliva has moistened it, and our bodies produce an average of 2-4 quarts, yes, you heard me, quarts, per day.
In James 3:8-10, Scripture talks about the tongue, “. . . but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”
Proverbs 18:21 states, “The tongue has the power of life and death . . .”
While the tongue may seem to be a heavy topic, don’t skip this one. We all struggle with what we say, or leave unsaid, and our grandkids need to know adults struggle here too. Sharing our own stories of success and failure can encourage them to work with God for the fruit of self-control.
Staying Healthy/Keeping Fit
1 Corinthians 3:16 reads, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”
Because God’s Spirit lives in us, we have a responsibility to take care of our temple. Encouraging our grandchildren to stay active and staying active ourselves has the potential to impact their long-term health and most certainly our own.
How’s your fitness regimen?
Walking uses 24 different muscles: 4 thigh, 3 hamstring, 3 butt, and 2 calf muscles.
Challenge your grandkids to move. Not all will gravitate to sports. Here are some ways to stay healthy together.
Try a weekly fitness competition, maybe in steps, miles walked or cycled, or if you have an older grandchildren, possibly weights.
Sign up for a 5K together.
Plan a hike.
Play pickleball or tennis if you are able.
In the pool, swim, pool run, or try water aerobics.
Attend a stretching class.
Share healthy recipes.
Offer a prize when outdoor and active time exceed screen time.
The Big Why
Yes, we are fearfully and wonderfully made, but why does this matter, especially to a grandchild who isn’t interested in spiritual things?
In 2020, Disney came out with the movie Soul. The movie speaks of passion, purpose, and destiny, while cranking unborn souls out factory style.
A random cookie-cutter creation cannot have a destiny—and that’s what culture is telling our grandkids. That they are random. That they have no purpose here. Just do your best to figure it out.
But one can have a destiny when they are handcrafted by God Himself who made them with a very specific plan in mind.
Listen to Psalm 139:13-16:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
My own birth wasn’t planned. Conceived out of wedlock, my birth didn’t bring excitement to my family. It brought shame which led to years of conflict between my parents and finally, divorce.
I often wondered why God made me when I wasn’t wanted—until I learned He wanted me and that was reason enough.
Our grandkids exist because God wanted each of them. Here. Now. Do they know?
Let’s be the ones to give them the news.
Let’s pray: Father God, we praise you for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. The human body is a wonder. Guide us as we enlighten our grandchildren and to encourage them to take good care of their temples. Help us to set a good example of a healthy lifestyle and to remind them how much You love and cherish them. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
The human body exhibits incredible intellectual design and expertise.
But Psalm 147:10 reads, “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of the warrior. The LORD delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”
May we point out the wonders while keeping our focus on the One who made them.
Resources:
Scripture to Help Grandparents
Proverbs 3:7-8; 14:30; 16:24; 18:21
Don’t forget to check out The Kingswell Kid Detective series. Book 1, The Mystery of the Missing Falls, is available now for readers ages 8-12. Kid-sized mysteries. God-sized truths.
Next week’s post: Fall Fun with the Grandkids.
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