Dear friend,
I want to start this week with something gentle. But something many of you carry every day.
Many of you have written to me about a grandchild.
A grandchild you held the day they were born. A grandchild you drove to practice, prayed over at night, and watched grow into someone you are proud of.
And now that grandchild looks at you differently.
They roll their eyes when the news comes on. They go quiet when his name comes up. Some of them have said things about your president, and about you for supporting him, that you never thought you would hear from someone you love. Some of you wore a red hat to a family dinner and felt the temperature in the room drop.
And some of you have not heard from that grandchild in a long time.
If that is you, I want to talk to you this Monday. Not to tell you that you are wrong. You are not wrong. I want to help you keep them.
First, you are not the only one.
Jesus warned us this would happen. In Luke chapter 12 verse 53, He described households where father would be divided against son and mother against daughter.
He was not describing a failure. He was describing the cost of standing for something in a world that does not.
So if your family is divided right now, it does not mean you have done something wrong. It means you are living in the times Jesus said would come.
That should not make you bitter. It should make you patient. Because He also told us what to do about it.
Second, listen before you speak.
In James chapter 1 verse 19 it says this.
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Quick to listen.
I have been with the Church for fifty years. I have sat at bedsides with families who had not spoken to each other in years. And do you know what I learned? Almost none of them could remember exactly what the fight was about. They only remembered that nobody listened.
Your grandchild is young. They have been taught things in school, online, and on their phones that you were never taught. Much of it is wrong. But they will never hear why it is wrong from someone who is not listening to them first.
So ask them what they think. Ask them why. Then let them finish. You may be surprised how much a young person softens when an older person simply lets them speak.
Third, answer gently.
Proverbs chapter 15 verse 1 says this.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
You do not have to give up what you believe. You should not. I support this president, and I will not pretend otherwise to make anyone comfortable. Neither should you.
But there is a difference between standing firm and standing in someone's face.
When your grandchild says something sharp about him, you do not need to win the argument at the dinner table. You need to still be welcome at the next one. Say what you believe. Say it once. Say it kindly. Then let it rest.
The world raised its voice at that young person. Be the one who did not.
Fourth, be ready with a reason.
In First Peter chapter 3 verse 15 it says to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
With gentleness. But prepared.
One day your grandchild will ask you the real question. Not in anger. Quietly. Maybe on a long drive. Maybe late at night.
Grandma, how can you support him?
When that moment comes, I do not want you to stumble. I want you to have an answer that is calm, clear, and rooted in Scripture. Not talking points from television. Something deeper than that.
That is part of why I wrote They Tried To Stop Him: What The Bible Says About Donald Trump. It lays out, step by step, why I believe God has always chosen imperfect men for specific moments, and why the fierce opposition to this one fits a pattern we have seen before. Joseph. David. Daniel. Paul.
Read it so that when your grandchild finally asks, you can answer in a few gentle sentences instead of a heated hour.
You can find the guide by clicking on the image below:
Alternatively, you may find it here: https://fatherthomasletters.com/products/they-tried-to-stop-him-what-the-bible-says-about-donald-trump
Finally, keep the porch light on.
In Luke chapter 15, the father of the prodigal son did not chase his boy down the road. He did not send him angry letters. He did not change what he believed.
He waited. He watched the road. And when his son was still a long way off, the father saw him and ran to him.
He saw him while he was still a long way off. That means he had been looking.
Keep looking for your grandchild. Keep the porch light on. Send the birthday card even if no one writes back. Say I love you even if they do not say it first.
Young people change. I have watched it happen more times than I can count. The grandchild who rolls their eyes at twenty is often the one who calls at thirty and says, you were right about more than I thought.
Make sure that when that call comes, they know the door is still open.
God bless you, friend. Have a gentle week.
With you in prayer always,
Father Thomas
This week I want you to do three things:
One. Reach out to one grandchild this week. A call, a card, or a short text. Do not mention politics at all. Ask about their life. Their work. Their friends. Just listen.
Two. Write James chapter 1 verse 19 on a small card. Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry. Keep it by your phone or in your purse until the midterms are over. Read it before every family conversation.
Three. Read They Tried To Stop Him this week, using the image or link above. Then practice explaining why you support him in three gentle sentences. That is all your grandchild will need to hear.
P.S. If you want to go deeper on anything I have written, everything is available at fatherthomasletters.com/products — including The Signs Are Here, which maps today's headlines directly against the specific passages that described them, and the Father Thomas Prayer Card Collection, which many of you have told me you return to every morning. Take a look when you have a moment.