One of the great joys of grandparenting is encouraging your Grands in their faith journey. Children enter the world innocent and ready to love and be loved. As babes, they rely on the adults around them for sustenance and other physical needs. As they grow, we can instill in them the tenants and comforts of faith that will see them through their adulthood. In their innocence, faith can blossom and grow in amazing ways simply because they believe without cynicism and…because the people around them demonstrate an active belief in what they share.
Demonstration, in my opinion, is one of the most important ways we can encourage our Grands in their faith journey. Live your faith by relating day-to-day issues and activities to that value. What does it look like?
Ways to Demonstrate Faith
Prayer – stopping in the moment to pray about situations, people, world events, school happenings, and whatever else arises in a day that could stand some prayer. Instead of holding off for prayer at some appointed religious time, demonstrate how prayer and faith are active in each moment.
Stories – share stories from the Bible and from life. Tell about Bible heroes and prayers answered. You can tell them about hopes realized and healed bodies. Tell about the wonderful things God has done in your life and will do in theirs.
Sincerity – practice what you preach. Don’t be an angel at church and nasty the rest of the week. We all have moments of failing, but when the overall image is different six days a week, the message of faith falls prey to hypocrisy. Young people pick up on that real quick. Be an honest example of a human being trying to live up to their faith and beliefs.
Open to talk – young people have a million questions. Can we, as grandparents, be open to talk about hard things when the Grands ask questions? If we’re not quick to judge and shut down honest questions and discussions, we will make more of an impact with our faith-based answers to those questions. Many times, we can share wisdom and see our beloved young one analyze the information and make a good choice.
Continue Encouraging Your Grands in Their Faith Journey
Love – most of all, love. We can encourage our Grands in their faith journey by loving them enough to do all of the above, and then go beyond even this into being a solid relationship in their life. The world is fraught with trouble right now and many people have questions and concerns about the future. We can be consistent, loving, and present for our Grands as they seek to find their way in their personal faith journey.
Whether they are ten, twenty, or older, always be encouraging your Grands in their faith journey. Share, demonstrate, be active in your own faith journey, and bless them with the best foundation upon which to build their own convictions.