Grandchildren: Chosen Before the Creation of the World

                                                                                           
The creation story. Most of us are familiar with Genesis 1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.” 
Day 1: Light. 
Day 2: Sky. 
Day 3: Dry land and plants. 
Day 4: Sun, moon, and stars. 
Day 5: Birds and fish. 
Day 6: Living creatures. Livestock, creepy crawlies, wild animals, and man. 

But have you ever considered what God did before creation? 

Ephesians 1:4 tells us, “For he [God] chose us in him [Christ] before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in his sight.” 
Yep, you heard that correctly. God. Chose. Us. Before creation. 

He chose our grandkids too. Each and every one of them. 
The teen girls glued to their phones. 
The adolescent boys in their PJ’s who may or may not have showered. 
The elementary-aged students who are deep into their arts and crafts projects. 
The preschoolers who talk incessantly. About everything. 
And those sweet babies who, yes, are still hungry and show no signs of napping. 

He chose them. Do they know it? Do you? 
Psalm 139:16 reads, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” There’s that before again. God knew everything about us and He still chose us all.
Why would God choose us? Why would God choose them? 

1. Fatherhood
Because God is first a loving father. 

For some of us, that’s hard to swallow, especially if our earthly dad came with unhealthy habits. Even parents who walk closely with Jesus stumble in parenthood. It’s a tough gig with endless opportunities to miss the mark. 

But don’t confuse a perfect God with an imperfect father like I did. I grew up in a performance-oriented home and transferred that mindset to God. I thought I had to do everything perfectly or He wouldn’t love me. 

Because I knew I couldn’t measure up, I felt worthless. What did I have to offer God? I could never be good enough for Him.

Turned out that was a non-issue. 

God loved me. Period. He wanted relationship. That’s something I’m still learning. How to be my Father’s daughter. 

Father God is the perfect dad. 
How have you experienced God as a good Father? 
Do you trust Him? 
Can you offer good reasons to help your grandkids trust Him? 

2. Transformation
The second reason for God’s choosing, Ephesians 1:4 tells us, is to be holy and blameless in His sight. 
How does that happen? Through relationship with Jesus. 
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.”

God doesn’t ask us to perform. To strive. He supplies the change. 
 

C. S. Lewis puts it this way in his book, Mere Christianity, “God became man to turn creatures into sons. Not to simply produce better men of the old kind, but to produce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature.” 

Do you see the transformation in yourself? How are you a new creation? Can other people tell? Children (and adults) often default to performance. How is God’s way different? Think about what used to be hard, both for yourself and for them, and now, it isn’t. 

We recently celebrated our oldest grandchild’s first spiritual birthday. For spiritual birthdays, check out Episode # 10 on The Christian Grandparenting Podcast or the post for March 10th. I had a special gift for our granddaughter. Since this was her first celebration, I explained the concept at the breakfast table while her younger siblings listened in. A spiritual birthday celebrates the child’s salvation decision and that year’s spiritual growth.

I told her one thing Granddad and I had noticed over the last year was she had softened. In her words. Her tone. Her attitude. She had a sweetness about her that hadn’t been there before. 
To commemorate and celebrate that sweetness, we gifted her a small bottle of honeysuckle perfume. I had a similar honeysuckle fragrance that I loved when I was her age. Then, we challenged her to talk with God about what He wanted to transform this next year. 

Talk about impact.

It was a powerful moment that took all of five minutes and maybe $15.00. But to us, to her, and to the siblings watching, priceless. 

John 6:44 says, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Can you help your grandchildren identify when God is working in their lives? What should they look for?

Here are some tools that may come in handy for these conversations:
1. Creation coloring books. 
2. A winged horse figurine. 
3. The Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis, specifically The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 
4. Mere Christianity by Lewis.
5. Fun before and after things. https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/best-before-and-after-pictures-2025. 
6. Book or material on the names and attributes of God.

Let’s pray: Father God, You’ve been planning for us for a very long time. Draw our grandchild to You and help them to choose You too. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Your grandchildren have been chosen. 
By God. 
From before the creation of the world. 
Will you tell them?