Hand Down the Faith with Mystery Bags - Origami Christmas Star

A few years ago I involved my three grandsons in making my Christmas cards. The boys helped draw the design on the cover, I wrote the inside greeting and then the boys prayed with me for the people who received our cards. We prayed the coming year would draw them closer to Jesus.

Yes, the drawings looked like a seven year old, four year old and two year old helped to draw them . . . after all, the boys were seven, four and two at the time, but the cards were the best Christmas cards I ever sent, because the boys helped make them and most importantly, they prayed with me for the people who received them.

This year I'm going to have my grandsons help me with my Christmas cards once again, but this year we are going to fold origami stars which the people who receive them will be able to hang upon their tree. Since my grandsons enjoy origami, I expect the stars will turn out well and will look nice hanging on the trees of the people who receive them, but the most important thing, once again will be how we will pray again for everyone who receives them.

If you would like to involve your grandchildren in helping you create origami Christmas Star Ornament Cards, consider making this project a Mystery Bag project. You will need . . . 

It All Matters

You may think you do not influence your grandchildren very much, but the truth is, you do. Grandparents are the second most influential people in the lives of their grandchildren, so it matters what we say and do to and with our grandchildren.

A Prayer to be Thankful for & See God's Goodness & Never-Ending Love

Have you ever noticed when you are thankful, in particular for God's goodness and never-ending love, you are more likely to be walking closely with Him? While we are not able to make our grandchildren walk with God, if we model and teach them to see and be thankful for God's goodness and never-ending love, they are far more likely to make the wise choice to walk with God.

We are not able to make them do this, but we absolutely are able to pray and ask God to help them have open eyes to see His goodness and love for them. Consider adding Psalm 136:1 to your prayers for your grandchildren (and grown children as well).

Pray with Confidence

What are you praying about today? What fills your thoughts and heart? Do you have a grandchild, family member and/or friend who is ill? Are you praying for your grandchildren as they make decisions about the college they will attend next year? Are the children you love in classroom settings where they are told the Bible is not true? Do you have daughters, sons in-laws, grandchildren who are not walking with God? What is on your heart and mind as you talk with God today?

What it is Really All About

Handing down the faith is all about God and putting our children's and grandchildren's best interests over our own. We tell them about who God is, about His great grace and love and we help them learn how they are able to know, love and walk with God. We know life is a gift from God and is given to us so we will use the time we are given to hand down the faith to the children and grandchildren also given to us by God.

Hand Down the Faith on Purpose So Your Children & Grandchildren Know & Remember

When you read through the Old Testament, you see how God showed His grace, forgiveness, mighty hand, great faithfulness and love over and over again. He forgave Adam and Eve, walked with Joseph throughout his time in Egypt, protected Moses, so he would be able to lead the people out of Egypt to the land God promised would be their own. He parted the Red Sea, provided food and water while the people wandered in the desert and gave them leaders like Moses and Joshua to get them to a place they would be able to call home. God protected them from people who wanted to harm them - even one time using a donkey which talked.

Over and over again God provided, forgave, showed grace, brought down actual walls, protected and showed His great love. In light of all of this, you might think God's people would never be able to stop talking about all God did for them. But in Judges 2:10 we read . . . 

Prayer of Thanks for Our Grandchildren

Heavenly Father,

Our grandchildren are uniquely Yours. They are Your handiwork (Ephesians 2:10), wired according to Your perfect design. While one of our grandchildren spends hours converting an unsightly lump of clay into a masterpiece, another dismantles an object to discover how it works. While one shinnies up a tree in the blink of an eye, another insists we read, “just one more book.” While one appears shy in large crowds, another has the innate ability to make us laugh.