A Heart for Eternity

Written by Brenda Peitzman, Director of Events

“Set your mind on things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2

Intentional Thought and Action

Biblically speaking, the heart is where we think, so setting our mind involves our heart. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God has put eternity in our hearts, but what does that even mean? Every one of us has a yearning for more than what this life offers because it will never be filled with what’s on this earth.

The apostle Paul commands believers to set or focus our thoughts on eternity. “Set” is a verb that requires intentional action. Many grandparents have moved from being Christian grandparents to intentional Christian grandparents through the teaching of our Grandparenting Matters seminar since the time it was developed in 2017 by the founder of Legacy Coalition, Larry Fowler. We know that being intentional is not passive but requires thought as well as a strategy.

Watching our granddaughters play volleyball over the past several years has been a delight. We have observed since the time they were 7 years old learning the basic skills until now, as preteens, as they are beginning to master the skills of serving, setting, and spiking the ball. In every game, one position becomes notably important – the setter. She is the one who directs the offense as the team works together toward a victory. She is the one who knows the abilities of her teammates. She watches the defense as they position themselves so she can set the ball to her teammate where the ball will be undefended on the other side of the net.

In a similar way, the quarterback of a football team sets the plays for an offensive strategy, hoping that it will result in victory. A good quarterback will consider the entire field, every player – both offensive and defensive, as they set the play that will advance them to the goal. It’s intentional and requires thought and action.

In a similar way, God is the master “setter” who has put eternity in our hearts. His desire is that our hearts will not be satisfied until we look through His lens of eternity. He is the divine playmaker for our lives, and without His infinite wisdom, knowledge, and guidance, we will not experience victory, joy, or satisfaction on this earth.

Legacy Grandparenting Summit 2026 Theme 

The theme for Summit 2026 is “A Heart for Eternity”. We don’t often talk about eternity, but as we get closer to the finish line, we naturally think about eternity more. God created a curiosity in the hearts of every person about what will happen when we die.

Everything we do here on earth is impacted by God’s sovereign, eternal plan for us and for our families. His ways are so much greater than we can imagine. He sees eternity past and eternity future. He looks at our lives with a wide-angle lens that sees it all. As finite human beings, the circumstances in our lives are seen only through a very narrow lens.

Eternity is infinite…never ending…impossible for our human minds to comprehend – it’s forever! The circumstances we are going through on earth are but a tiny dot in the scope of eternity. As we set our hearts on eternity, we can have confidence that God is using those situations for our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28)

Set Your Focus on Eternity

Setting our mind and heart involves focus. Most of us have been to an ophthalmologist to have an eye examination – especially as our eyes begin to weaken with age! As we look through the many different lenses, we are asked to focus on a certain letter or object. The blur becomes clear as the dial is turned, and the lens is changed. So, it is with the blur of life – when we look at the things we don’t see clearly, they become defined as we look through the God ordained lens of eternity.

The age-old song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” reminds us that the things of earth will become strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Do Not Get Distracted

You may have visited a classroom of rambunctious kiddos and heard the teacher say, “Class, I need you to focus!” They are distracted by a classmate whispering to them, the bug crawling across the floor, or the pool of dried glue stuck to the top of their desk.

In the same way, the world is bombarding us with distractions that not only take our eyes but also the focus of our lives off Jesus. Some of those things (material possessions, accomplishments, entertainment, and pleasures of this earth) might seem like blessings, but they begin to take the place of what is most important – knowing that our children and grandchildren will spend eternity with us. 

Some of those distractions come in the way of challenges and hardships – health issues, financial struggles, and relational divisions in our families. Even in those hardships, as we set our hearts on eternity, we realize that this world is not our home, and eternity awaits.

The apostle Peter tells us that because we are just passing through, we can’t put our hope and confidence in this world. (I Peter 2:11) May this admonition encourage your heart today.

God Put Eternity in Our Hearts

Many of you will remember the song that became a 60’s hit tune – “Is That All There Is” by Peggy Lee. The eerie melody and lyrics depict the disillusionment of life found in the hearts of so many, both young and old.

Because God put eternity in our hearts, we will never be satisfied with things on this earth. Instead, as grandparents, we must focus on our mission, purpose, and role in our families. God gives a Biblical mandate to pass our faith down to our children, grandchildren, and generations yet to be born!

John 17:3 tells us, “This is eternal life, that they may know the only true God and Jesus Christ”. This eternal command and blessing should be front and foremost each day. How can God use every moment or interaction that I have with my grandchildren to point them to Christ?

Take Every Opportunity

God’s word tells us to focus on Him and to put our hope and confidence in the glory of God (Romans 5:2). Eternity must be a mindset that permeates every aspect of our thoughts, words, and actions.

My mother had a favorite acronym that many still remember today – TEO, which stands for take every opportunity! When eternity becomes the lens from which we view life, we will TEO with every interaction with our grandchildren, every text to them, every telephone conversation, every mealtime, every school pickup, every coffee date.

As we reorient our thinking toward eternity, our values and priorities become worthwhile and eternal.

Blessings of Setting Our Hearts on Eternity

Setting our minds on eternity will do the following:

• Transform our interactions with our adult children and grandchildren
• Change our priorities to bring eternal fruit
• Bring personal Spiritual growth and a desire to spend more time in the Word of God for direction and intimacy
• Our thoughts will be filtered through love, grace, and truth
• Decisions will be guided by prayer
• Self-absorption will be replaced by a servant heart
• Humility will overshadow pride

Summit 2026 Speaker Topics

Our speakers will cover topics on eternity at the 2026 Legacy Grandparenting Summit:

• Eternal Perspective – Viewing the issues of life and legacy in light of eternity.
• Eternal Hope – Claiming Jesus as our only hope in the hard times.
• Eternal Calling – Practical discipleship with our grandchildren.
• Eternal Holiness – Empowering grandchildren to understand, embrace, and celebrate Biblical sexuality.
• Eternal Influence – Effective ways to be a spiritual influencer in your family.
• Eternal Significance – The significant impact of screens on the minds of your grandkids.
• Eternal Promises – Standing on God’s promises and claiming them for your family.
• Eternal Legacy – Becoming a spiritual mentor to your grandchildren.
• Eternal Glory – What will be revealed to us… Heaven!
• Eternal Partnership – Partnering with our adult children to make the greatest spiritual impact on our grandchildren.
• Eternal Life – Presenting the gospel to our grandchildren with clarity and conviction.

Conclusion

As God begins to transform the hearts of grandparents, the resulting influence on their children and grandchildren will impact their legacy for eternity. I believe that we could see a revival in the hearts of grandparents at Summit 2026.

As we celebrate 10 years of ministry for Legacy Coalition, we look forward to the coming decades of how God will use each grandparent, each church leader, and each grandparenting program to reach the 30 million grandparents who have not yet been awakened to their role as intentional Christian grandparents.

Stir our hearts, O Lord. Show us how to live our lives here on earth in light of eternity. Comfort us with the hope of our salvation and the promise of eternity for those who know you as personal Savior and Lord. Help us to stand on the promises of God and to partner with our adult children as we seek to show them the truth and grace found by obeying the commands of our Heavenly Father. And most importantly, give us a bold renewal of our faith that will be seen and heard by our grandchildren so that they will pass down their faith in the same way for generations to come. Amen.