​Why is it that younger folks listen to older folks like me? One reason is that they know we’ve been around the block a few times, and we know what life is like. Another thing is that it’s not our job to rebuke them. We leave that to their parents. We are free to be the grandparents and mentors who can share freely from our lives what God has done for us.

So, how can we do that? Easy. We can share our spiritual lives with them. We can show them ways that we draw close to God, and include them as part of our spiritual practices. We can ask our kids and grandkids how we can pray for them. Then when we do it, we should tell them. The Bible says that if we call on God, he will hear us, and we can show what that is like in action. We should especially pray for those who do not know Jesus among our family – and tell them too. Maybe they won’t understand what it means, but they will know that we care for them.

Another way we can share our spiritual lives with the younger people is by sharing Bible verses that mean something to us or apply to their lives. We can tell them, “I went through a similar situation when I was your age, and this is what God taught me.”  When they’re struggling with something, we should share God’s word with them. Again, they may not understand it completely, but they will feel heard and loved, and they will slowly draw closer to Christ. 

This is Luis Palau.