Conquer your Can’t

My six year old granddaughter, Laynee, was sobbing in the barn. She was afraid to ride a bike without training wheels. We encouraged her she could do it. Grandpa would help her. She said “I can’t!” Anthony our five year old grandson we are raising has been riding  his bike since he was four. He said to her, “if you think you can’t, you can’t.”  I was impressed with this wisdom from a five year old.

The kiddo’s do hear what you say. Many times you think it goes in one ear and out the other, but sometimes its gets stuck in the middle and makes an imprint they will always carry with them. Then they will be surprised to hear it come out of their mouth to their own kids. How many times have we heard our mother’s words spoken by us?

We walked to the corner of our country road with blue sky and green crops budding. Laynee  was encouraged and assisted by grandpa on the bike without training wheels, with  a smile on her face. She had a glimpse of conquering her can’t. Do you have that glimpse? To get it you choose to go for it. Of course you may have limitations, I’ll never climb Mt Everest, but  I choose to accomplish what I can, how about you?

As grandparents whether we are raising grandkids full or part time, we have the privilege of intentional influence. Speak kind, encouraging, loving and respectful words to these young ones who are forming their own identity, choices and manners in life. Pour in the positive and they will overflow with these attributes. And like David said in Psalm 23, “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”