Make a Grand Difference in Your Child’s Faith Formation
Bible Verse
17 You have taught me since I was a child, and I never stop telling about your marvelous deeds. 18 Don't leave me when I am old and my hair turns gray. Let me tell future generations about your mighty power. Psalm 71:17-18
Bible Verses: “You have taught me since I was a child, and I never stop telling about your marvelous deeds. Don’t leave me when I am old and my hair turns gray. Let me tell future generations about your mighty power.” Psalm 71:17-18
Who lights up when your child enters the room? Can you name five adults who use their words, stories, prayers, daily examples, and love for God to help your kids see who God is and what he says about them?
Within their book, Sticky Faith, Dr. Kara Powell and Dr. Chap Clark wrote that every child needs five adults on their team to nurture a longterm faith that sticks. It makes all the difference if at least one of those adults is a grandparent or grand friend.
Grandparents and grandfriends are the grand difference to a child’s faith formation.
This is usually a parent blog, but this one is for the grandparents and grand friends—the older saints in a child’s life. Read and then forward this as a thank you, an invitation to mentor your child, or an encouragement to keep going because their mentoring matters.
Using the acronym GRAND, here are five grand ways grandparents and grand friends can intentionally contribute to the next generation.
G: Generations should prioritize spending time together. Go for walks. Worship God together. Cook together. Help out with each other's chores. Talk about school and sports. Connect over board games and ice cream cones. Then, in all the fun, have each person, young and old, share how you see God working in your life (Psalm 71:17-18).
R: Results belong to God. If you wonder if you’re making a difference when your granddaughter doesn’t return your text messages or your teenage neighbor ignores you when hanging out with his friends, keep going. You may need a new approach but stay the course. You do the work of connecting but know the results belong to God (1 Corinthians 3:6).
A: Ask good questions. Then, listen carefully (Proverbs 20:5). Here are three:
Tell me three good things you saw today.
What makes you feel strong today?
What is the hardest part of being you?
N: Notice what matters to kids. A child doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. So pay attention. Care about what they care about, and if possible, show up for it or join them. Then, they will take note of what matters most to you—your relationship with God (1 Corinthians 11:1).
D: Discipleship is a long game. You may consider yourself a “baby” person, or perhaps toddlers are your favorite stage. Enjoy the baby snuggles, but stay committed through the awkward tween and challenging teen years. Even as independent adults, they will never outgrow their need for a grandparent’s love, encouragement, and prayers (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
Dear Grand, you may question if you have enough time, energy, Bible knowledge, or understanding of today’s kids to make a difference in a child’s faith. You might even protest, “I’m not qualified. I can’t do this!”
You’re right. You can’t. Same here. But this isn’t about what we can or cannot do. It’s about what God will do in and through us when we say yes to his grand call to mentor the next generation.
Want to do a deep dive? Check out Family Fire's article Connecting with Grandparents: Blessed by Investment.
Lenae Bulthuis
Lenae Bulthuis wants every child to know who God is and what He says about them. With over 25 years of experience, she has been a women’s conference speaker, authored devotionals and articles, and was a former GEMS Global Curriculum/Content Director. Lenae and her husband, Mike, live on a Minnesota grain and livestock farm. She enjoys spending time with family and always has at least three books on the nightstand.
