What can I do to pass my faith on to my grandkids?

It is one of those questions that I get over and over again. Sometimes it is asked by faithful grandparents who just want to help. It is sometimes asked by grandparents who did not intentionally pass their faith to their children and want to do better with their grands. It may be asked out of fear that the future generations will not know Jesus. It may be out of a sincere conviction that the most important thing they can do for those coming after them is to pass on faith in Jesus. The greatest family legacy of all.

So it is important that we not just encourage grandparents, but also give practical advice.

Full disclosure: I am a grandparent, and the greatest joy I have is to see my grandchildren developing a robust and courageous faith. So here a few practical things that grandparents can do; these are things we have done or seen in others.

We often base our activity on one of two Scriptures. Mark 12:30-31: love God with your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love others as yourself. Or Luke 2:52: the Jesus model to develop in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and people.

So we encourage our grands to love God with their mind—and develop wisdom—by learning Scripture. Buy a Bible and inscribe a personal blessing in it. Try reading a chapter together. Have your grands read the Bible to you. Memorize verses together. We do a cousin’s camp every summer for our five. There is always a theme verse for the week, which they memorize.

Love others—and grow in favor with others—by doing service projects together. Or pay your grandkids for odd jobs with the understanding the money goes to a non-profit that serves children in the name of Jesus.

Pray for your grandkids’ physical health as they grow in stature and love God with all their strength. We had several serious health scares with some of our grands. We were involved with prayer circles and anointings that specifically asked God to heal, and we frequently remind them of how God intervened and healed them.

Encourage spiritual growth—loving God with all their heart and growing in God’s favor. Help fund their mission trips. Do VBS together as a family. Write notes of encouragement. Acknowledge spiritual commitments and activities with more enthusiasm than you do with their academic or athletic achievements.

As grandparents, we can—and should—be active in the spiritual formation of our grandchildren.

Nothing will bring you more joy.