Teaching Faith to our Grandchildren by Living it
“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
This morning our house is quiet. This is both a sad thing and a good thing. Max the Golden Retriever feels pretty much the same way. I know he misses the children, and his tail seemed to be wagging all the time when they were here, and he was great about Geoffrey using him as a furry jungle gym – but he took time out to hide too, when necessary.
I don’t know if there is a “perfect age” for
grandchildren. In our case it has been, to date, every age we have experienced. Right now David is ten, Beks is eight, and Geoffrey is 16-months. And I am loving the way the older children can still be completely childlike, and silly, and free from being too self-conscious (until they are not), but also engage in more serious, complex conversation.
To that end Beks and I were talking about the Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. They watched a movie in class and have been talking about them. I asked if she had read any of the books.
“The library only has two copies of the lion and witch one,” she said. “Everyone wants to check them out. So I read the second story.”
“That’s great!” I answered, “but they are so much better when you read them in order.”
So – and this is the wonder of a smartphone – I ordered a boxed set of the Narnia books while we were still talking. The books will be waiting for Beks and David when they arrive home in Miami.
I am so excited that we are going to be talking about Aslan!
This is important. It’s something I have talked about before but bears repeating. We are not supposed to preach at our grandchildren, or corner them like we were street evangelists! Instead the grandparent opportunity is to love these children extravagantly, to pay attention to their lives, listen to their stories, know their hopes and dreams, understand their fears and questions, share honestly with them about our own love for God, and – as the scriptures instruct us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
Did you hear that? “Give a reason for the hope that is within you.” And no-one is about to “ask you to give a reason” if they first don’t see the hope.
Our daughter and son-in-law love God, and the family attends a good church. The children are in a great position to one day make their own decision to follow Jesus.
In the meanwhile, I pray that they always see evidence of the hope that is within me! And, now, it looks like we can enjoy some great conversations around The Chronicles of Narnia, and one of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time.
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Derek is a North Carolina-based writer, journalist, teacher and speaker. He is the author of numerous books on what the Bible reveals as essential in becoming a man of God.
He is convinced that his four grandchildren are exactly the hope and promise that this world needs. His conviction is important to understand because it reveals a lot about his theology, and how he believes our identity as God’s children plays out in the day-to-day experience of living in a world where darkness, disappointment, and defeat are all too common.
He is a committed encourager, and a pilgrim in progress. He divides his time between writing and traveling to speak about the fully engaged life. His passion is to connect people – men and women – with a more vibrant, authentic experience of what he calls “The Life-Charged Life.”
If you would like to read more, check out his author page at Amazon. Also check out his website and his daily blog.
Reading Between The Lines, With Derek Maul is published every Wednesday on Christian Grandfather Magazine.
Article and Photo By Derek Maul, Published With His Permission
What a precious family and a great article on your perspective of witnessing to those we love. How will our grandchildren believe what we profess unless we practice what we preach? Living the life God intends for us to live is indeed a heavy responsibility – but one we should gladly accept, for the rewards will flow outward for generations!