Findings: How to Be a Great Godparent

It all happened so fast. My best friend Sandy telephoned from Florida to ask if I would consider being godmother to her second child, a  son.

Godmother! I was honored. I was flattered. I'd never been asked to be a godmother before.    

"Sure," I replied easily.

"You don't have to answer right away," Sandy said. "Being a godparent is a serious responsibility. Maybe you'd like to think it over for a few days, maybe even pray about it."

"Don't be silly," I laughed. "I'd love to be Josh's godmother."    

With some unease I sensed that through one simple phone call, my identity had taken on a new, uncertain dimension. As mother of two, I was familiar with plain old garden-variety motherhood. But godmother—this was different. This was…

And then it hit me. I hadn't the foggiest idea what being a godparent meant. What was it Sandy had said about god-parenting being a “serious responsibility?” They way she talked, her request had more to do with Josh than with honoring me. Clearly her expectations were high. But what exactly did she expect?

I thought of my own godmother, my mother's best friend from her college days. Growing up, our families lived a thousand miles apart. On the few occasions our paths crossed, I remembered her as a warm and friendly woman.

When I was very young she sent me Christmas presents—sometimes a doll, sometimes a book. Still, I couldn't recall that she had ever done anything that set her apart as a godmother.

Well, there was no turning back now. For better or worse, I'd impulsively said yes to Sandy's request. 

I said a simple prayer: Father, please teach me what it means to be a godparent.