Find Your Unique Way to Disciple Your Grandkids

Written by Dr. Joannie DeBrito, Family Support Specialist

While we tend to think of our calling as a chosen career, a family role, or a particular talent, it’s important to remember our most important calling—to put our trust in Jesus Christ and glorify God in all that we do. We are then called to disciple our grandchildren so they will follow Him too.

The unique ways God has equipped us to live out our faith—through our personal traits, life experiences, and special gifts—also shape the unique ways we disciple our grandchildren.

In this post, I’ll explore how God can use those things in your life to help you influence your grandchildren for Christ.

Discipleship Begins with the Example of Your Life

In Galatians 5:22-23, we are asked to live by the Holy Spirit, and if we do, the Spirit will produce in us fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Have you ever noticed that when one of those traits (or other valuable traits such as humility, perseverance, and compassion) is a strength in a person, he or she is often known for that trait?

My father was a children’s dentist, beloved by his patients and their parents. He was extremely kind and gentle and was highly admired for having patience with the most resistant little mouths. When he died, a former patient who was a writer at the New York Times wrote a column about my dad’s abundance of patience and how it made such an important impression on her. His patience made a similar impression on me and has contributed significantly to my methodical exploration of Christianity, consideration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and perseverance through some times of suffering.

My mother was good at asking questions and encouraging me to develop critical thinking skills to exercise good decision-making and self-control. I appreciated the balance my parents provided between exposing me to Christianity as a child without forcing me to participate in a lot of religious activities and allowing me to make my own decisions about faith in God.

Long before conversations about faith happen, grandchildren observe how grandparents live.

How would people describe you? Would they notice that you find joy in every situation or consistently serve others with humility? Are you the one who gently cares for animals and carefully nurtures flowers in your garden, or do you show faith in the most extreme circumstances? The first way you disciple your grandchildren is by letting them see the reflection of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Calling Found in Your Life Experiences

Our personal traits, special gifts, and experiences growing up tend to direct us toward chosen professions or a specific path in life, such as being a full-time parent or a lay artist, counselor, pastor, or missionary. These roles tend to be generally easy for us and bring us fulfillment and joy because they require less effort than roles that require us to get out of our comfort zones. We can use our calling related to life experiences to disciple our grandchildren and encourage them on their faith journey.

Are you a scientist who marvels at the wonders of God’s creations all around you? If so, you can use your calling to help your grandchildren see that the complexities of the human body, animal and plant life, the solar system, and how they all influence one another could only be the work of a divine, intelligent creator.

Did you grow up the eldest of many children, helping your parents cook for the family? If so, you may love to cook and find the planning and preparation of meals to bring you joy when so many others feel burdened by having to decide what to make for dinner. This would describe one of my grandmothers and when I was growing up, she often took the time to talk to me about Jesus while we were cooking together. She would tell me how she might make the manna that fell from the sky when God let it rain down on the Israelites. While making grape jelly from the grapes that grew on vines outside of her house, she would surmise that her grapes might taste like those consumed in liquid form when Jesus turned water into wine.

Simple activities like cooking, gardening, or walking together create natural opportunities to talk about Scripture and God’s work.

Ask yourself, “What makes me uniquely qualified to use the calling of my life experiences to disciple my grandchildren?

How God Uses Hard Seasons for Ministry

Sometimes, the tragedies of one’s life may be used as a calling to help others who are suffering or offer preventive help to people so they do not experience avoidable suffering. For instance, many support groups have been started by people who have recovered from (or learned to successfully manage symptoms related to) physical and mental illnesses, infertility, infidelity, the loss of a loved one, domestic violence, abuse of all kinds, addictions, and various forms of trauma.

Difficult experiences can become powerful testimonies that teach grandchildren about perseverance, faith, and serving others.

Is it possible that the purpose of your previous pain was so God could use you to minister to others and thereby expose your grandchildren to the importance of serving others?

Using Your Unique Gifts

We all have gifts in some areas. It’s easy to point out the obvious ones, such as artistic, musical, athletic, or intellectual gifts. Not only are these easy to spot, but there are awards programs that draw attention to those who have these kinds of special skills. These gifts are often part of a person’s calling and can be used with grandchildren to help them learn to express themselves and their faith in various ways, witness to friends on athletic teams, or serve God by helping classmates who are struggling in school.

If you don’t have any of those specific gifts, fear not, as everyone has some. I benefit from a loved one’s more unusual superpowers on a regular basis. She is a human GPS system. You know the type. While people like me, who are “directionally impaired,” get lost turning around in a circle, she can wander around in a huge city she has never been to for hours and effortlessly find herself back to where she started without asking for directions or using a map. It’s not uncommon for me to enter a lady’s restroom, only to attempt to exit via a cleaning closet. This may sound like a silly gift but that loved one once got the group she was traveling with on an international mission trip out of a potentially dangerous situation by applying her human GPS skills, while others in the group used their abilities to speak multiple languages and manage conflicts well to resolve some serious problems. These unique callings can be applied to disciple grandchildren in as many ways as there are different gifts.

Are you aware of your special gifts? If not, challenge yourself to identify them or ask those close to you to tell you where they think you are gifted.

In Romans 12:3-8, the Apostle Paul encourages believers to serve God by using the gifts of prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhorting, giving, and mercy. All of these can be used to encourage and support our grandchildren in various ways. Consider what God may have given you to disciple your grandchildren. Then be creative in thinking of ways to live it out practically and intentionally before your grandchildren.

Conclusion

Spiritual influence rarely happens by accident—it grows through consistent love, prayer, and presence.

All are related to the Christian faith and emulate the life of Jesus Christ, so we come full circle to that primary goal I mentioned at the beginning of this blog: to help our grandchildren put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and glorify God in all that they do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is discipling grandchildren important for Christian grandparents?

Grandparents play a powerful role in shaping faith because they offer wisdom, time, and spiritual perspective that can influence grandchildren for generations.

How can grandparents naturally talk about faith with grandchildren?

Faith conversations often happen best during everyday activities such as meals, travel, hobbies, or storytelling about life experiences.

What if my grandchildren do not live nearby?

Grandparents can disciple from a distance through prayer, phone calls, video chats, letters, and sharing Scripture or encouragement.

Do grandparents need special training to disciple their grandchildren?

No. The most important factor is living out authentic faith and intentionally pointing grandchildren toward Christ.

What is the most important way to influence grandchildren spiritually?

Modeling a genuine relationship with Jesus is the most powerful witness grandparents can give.