I just love to hang out with older people. No, really. The older I get the more in awe I am of those older than me. Those who were born 10, 20, 30+ years before I was. I love watching grandparents try new things. Or watching them keep going when they are tired. I am inspired by their incredible attitudes.
But do you know what I love to watch most? I love the way “older” people interact with the youngest generation. There is a sense of intentionality and purpose in their eyes when they are spending time with their grandkids.
I recently heard a song entitled Maw Maw’s Song, by Bart Millard, which is a remix of an old hymn. It brought to my mind visions of specific people in my younger life. And those that I now see impacting the next generation.
It made me wonder how a grandparent and a grandchild, two people so far apart in age, could be so tightly linked in such a profound way. Then I read the story behind why that song was written, and it became crystal clear.
The key ingredient in this tight bond is wisdom. We live in a world that is overflowing with knowledge and information. It seems as if we almost have too much information. Wisdom is something that can only be gained with experience and perhaps age. But the beauty of wisdom is that it can be shared. Those who don’t have the life experience to have true wisdom can learn it from someone who does.
So here is what I have observed. The following are common to my friends in the older generation who are successfully passing on a heritage of faith to their grandchildren. These grandparents are using their wisdom in specific ways to influence the littlest ones.
Proper Perspective
I believe those who have lived longer, perhaps more difficult lives, have a knack for putting life in perspective. We “young-uns” fret and fume about daily circumstances out of our control. But our older friends know that fretting is a waste of time. There is no need to spend hours worrying about something we cannot change.
Relaxed Urgency
None of us knows how long we will be here on earth. But the odds are that those born first will be with Jesus first. This has a profound effect on the way older people choose to spend their time. The irony is that the grandparents I see interacting with grandkids have the uncanny ability to slow the pace of life in their grandchildren’s presence, even though the urgency to spend time with them is real.
I’m reminded of my own grandmother who spent time with me to teach me how to sew even though my mom could have done that for me. It wasn’t the sewing that was important, but the time spent together that was at the top of her list.
Intentional Priorities
Have you ever watched a grandparent choose to do something with their grandkids or for their grandkids that you know is difficult for them? Or maybe it is something that they don’t love doing, but they will do it “for the grandkids.”
My first thought goes immediately to the long list of grandparents that I have watched bring their grandkids to church week in and week out. I know first-hand that wrangling small children or even older kids during worship is not easy. But the priority of being with a group of believers on a regular basis outweighs the difficulty involved in making it happen.
Sticky Faith
Perhaps the biggest factor in sharing faith with the youngest generation is having a genuine, daily, personal faith that sticks no matter what. The example that comes with living a life of faith, no matter what life deals you is not easily ignored or forgotten.
There are so many stories of people who have endured terrible hardship or tragedy, battered and bruised, but with their faith in God and love for Jesus intact. When that happens to be a grandparent, the impact on the grandkids is strong. No doubt grandkids will grow up, run up against similar walls, and remember the stories of the people in their lives that they love and respect.
So as I reflect on what I have witnessed, I am in awe. Thank you to all the grandparents out there who are using their wisdom to shape the next generation of kids. What you are doing is not going unseen.
What examples of faith-sharing have you witnessed among the older and the younger generations?
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, remembering that as members of the same body you are called to live in harmony, and never forget to be thankful for what God has done for you.
Colossians 3:15