What
Grandkids Remember
.
Grandparents have a God-given
role in their grandchildren’s
lives
.
by Molly Kilpatrick
I don’t remember what my
grandma got me for my 6th birthday, or
7th, or 11th, but I am pretty sure it
wasn’t the cool item I wanted that year.
I also don’t remember much about the
toys I played with at her house or what
kind of car she drove.
But here’s what I DO remember:
My grandma was present at every one of
my important spiritual and life
milestones – sacraments, birthdays,
graduations. My relationship with God
was important to her because her
relationship with God was important to
her. In fact, one of the strongest
memories of my grandmother was her
faith. It was evident everywhere.
She had a book room with tons of books
written by Christian leaders and
martyrs. As I grew older, she would
allow me to take a book home on my
birthday. She seemed to know what to
recommend at every stage of my life.
I remember the family Christmas
celebration my grandparents hosted each
year. We re-enacted the Nativity story
with all my cousins playing the
different roles of people in the play,
reading through the Nativity story from
the Gospel of Luke, singing the
Christmas songs, wearing homemade
costumes, each of us taking our turn to
play the main characters. She put up a
hand-sewn stocking for each aunt, uncle,
child, and grandchild. She even had
extras for guests! Guess what I don’t
remember – what was in my stocking.
I remember what my grandma smelled like
because she always pulled me in for a
close hug, a kiss on the cheek (yes,
with lipstick), and a blessing on my
forehead. She combined physical touch
with gentle expressions of faith that
have stuck with me even after many
years, including:
- Her presence
at significant spiritual milestones.
- Her interest
in my intellectual and spiritual
development.
- The way she
helped expand my view of life, just
a little at a time.
- Her
appreciation of the simple
enjoyments of life.
- The yearly
traditions which demonstrated the
reason for the season.
There is plenty
more I remember about Grandma, but these
snapshots of her life and personality
show there is something extremely
powerful about a grandmother’s faith.
For discussion:
- How can you
use your natural, God-given gifts to
impact your grandchildren? (Reading,
writing, creating, debating, baking,
etc.)
- What are some
tangible ways in which you can show
Christ to your grandchildren when
you are together?
- Can you plan a
Christmas show with your
grandchildren that will illustrate
an element of your faith? Perhaps a
play re-enacting the Christmas
story?
For action:
- Prioritize
attendance at the special moments
(birthdays, sacraments, plays,
sports, graduations) in the life of
your grandchild(ren).
- Make a list of
your talents and how you can apply
them.
- Make a list of
your grandchildren and what action
you will take with each one based on
their unique personality.
Molly
Kilpatrick is a Minnesota native now
living in Lansing, Michigan with her
husband. She has worked with high school
and university aged youth since 2007,
and currently works as a Mission
Director for Kairos North America and
University Christian Outreach serving
college-aged youth.
Copyright ©
2019 Grandly: The Strategic
Grandparents Club
|
About Grandly: The Strategic
Grandparents Club
Grandly: The Strategic
Grandparents Club is
a program of the Sword of the
Spirit. This program was founded
in 2016 by Mike Shaughnessy as a
resource to equip grandparents
to share their faith with their
grandchildren. Grandly teaches
grandparents to “Think, Pray,
and Act Strategically” in the
lives of their grandkids. It
recognizes that grandparents
occupy a special role in the
lives of their grandchildren,
and if properly trained, can
make an outsized impact on their
spiritual lives.
As a youth minister, Mike knew
the difference grandparents
could make in the lives of their
grandchildren. He wondered if it
could happen more often. It
wasn’t that they lacked the
faith. What they lacked was a
strategy. If grandparents
learned how to think, pray, and
act strategically, the way youth
workers did, something marvelous
would happen. It has. Strategic
grandparents have become
missionaries to their own
grandchildren.
We equip grandparents to be
“youth workers” to their own
grandchildren. When we ask
grandparents, “What is your
biggest concern?” Most answer
“our grandchildren,” not their
retirement or the next vacation.
Many see that their
grandchildren are not getting
the spiritual and moral
formation they need, and feel
equally unable to address that
need. We currently equip
grandparents to be youth workers
through two venues: our website
(grandly.org) and our “Do It
Grandly” Seminars.
Our website reaches a network of
grandparents who are interested
in learning how to think, pray,
and act strategically. We
publish bi-weekly online
articles that provide
encouragement, motivation, and
practical tools on how to pass
on their faith to grandchildren.
Through our “Do It Grandly”
seminars, we help grandparents
to grow in their relational
skills while providing insight
into contemporary youth culture,
giving them valuable tools for
building impactful,
Christ-centered relationships
with their grandchildren. These
seminars provide a way for Sword
of the Spirit grandparents to
re-enter internal (their own
grandchildren) and external
(their own peers) mission. By
now we have hosted 7 seminars: 3
in Michigan (Lansing, Ann Arbor,
Jackson) and then Minnesota,
Maryland and Ireland.
For access to inspirational articles, sign up for a free membership at www.grandly.org.
Interested
in hosting a seminar
in your local community or
learning more? Please
email Pili Galvan
Abouchaar at grandlydirector@gmail.com.
Grandly
is recruiting 10,000 youth
workers, all of whom are
over the age of 55!
|
top photo of Grandmother
and Granddaughter, (c) copyright by
agusyonok at Bigstock.com
Stock Photo ID: 158033348
|
