Joyful Grandparenting: Share Your Faith

Grandparenting is a unique role, with significant differences from parenting. God designed the role to bless and build faith and family in specific ways. We need to Be Intentional about sharing our skills with our grandchildren, but even more important is Sharing Our Faith.

When my grandchildren reached age 6, I started having a “Bible Club” for those who lived nearby. I'd pick them up after school and spend time sharing a Bible story, a snack, and a craft. 

Sometimes we painted on large sheets of brown paper on the back porch, sometimes we used coloring sheets. One time we made bracelets with plastic beads, and a few times we made cookies. These crafts were always tied to something we'd discussed from the Bible. 

For example: One week we studied Psalm 19:9-10 which describes God’s Word as more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. I bought chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil symbolizing both sweetness and wealth. That was a popular lesson. 😊

That was the week my oldest granddaughter asked how long we'd have our Bible clubs. When I told her I wasn't sure, she said we'd probably have to stop when she went to college. 

You can imagine how sweet a memory that is for me. 

While I knew we wouldn’t continue our Bible Club until Emma’s college years, I’m so glad I took advantage of those days when she enjoyed spending time talking about God. We should never underestimate how our witness will affect future generations.

Having a Bible club won't seem natural to some of you, but I encourage you to share your faith with your grandchildren in ways that do seem natural. Let them see you reading your Bible. Tell them that you pray for them. Tell them about the joys you experience from knowing Jesus with them.

Another way I've passed my faith along to my grandchildren was through good quality Christian biographies designed for their reading levels. They've been inspired by the lives of godly Christians, and it's been meaningful to read and discuss these stories together.  I talk about this in my 1-minute devotion: A Great Cloud. 

These words that Paul wrote to Timothy are so encouraging:

“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5).

I imagine Lois humbly shared her testimony with her young grandson Timothy, and he saw how she lived out her faith. 

I encourage you to do the same. Ask God for creative ways to share your faith with your grandchildren. 

If your children are not believers, sharing you faith with your grandchildren may be more challenging. You’ll need to be careful and prayerful, which brings us to another act of deliberate grandparenting which I'll discuss in Part 3.

Leave a comment and tell me how you share your faith with your grandchildren.

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This article is part of an article that was published in Reach Out Columbia, September 2012