Faith and Fishing with Your Grandchildren

June 23, 2026|Gayle Veitenheimer||Discipleship

Are you an angler? Has fishing hooked you? Fishing offers a window into all kinds of spiritual conversations.

Fishing and Bait

Anglers target different fish with customized bait. Stink bait for catfish. Lures for bass. Worms, bugs, or minnows for trout.

Color, location, and season affect bait choice too.

Likewise, the enemy studies us to know which bait to cast.

What are our weak spots?

Where are we vulnerable?

Fatigue and hunger get me every time, and I’m not alone. It’s the first temptation Satan throws at Jesus. Matthew 4:2-3 read, “After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he [Jesus] was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” Satan first offers bread hoping Jesus will break the fast before God had released him.

Share with your grandkids about your weaknesses and ask about theirs.

What safeguards can they put in place?

If they’re struggling with something like controlling their temper, suggest memorizing a Bible verse like Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

How about some accountability? Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

Is there a way to remove temptation altogether? There’s a reason I don’t keep pretzels in our pantry.

Let’s share our struggles and ask how we can help. And let’s remember to pray with them.

Fishing and Hooks

Under that lovely piece of bait sits a sharp, shiny hook. That hook represents consequences. Short-term and long-term.

Once hooked, many fish fight and some get away. But even if they get away, they wear the scar forever.

What are some consequences for the temptations that our grandkids face?

Numbers 32:23 says, “. . . you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”

All sin affects our fellowship with God and with others. Even hidden sin carries consequences. Guilt, anxiety, and shame. Forgiveness doesn’t negate consequences.

For cheating for example. One short-term consequence is you get a zero on that assignment.

Or taking offense. The relationship suffers, no matter how right you think you were.

A steady diet of junk food trashes your body. When you eat clean and healthy, you’ll notice the difference between food that fuels your body and food that wrecks it.

What hook lurks under that bait? Help them to see it. Help them look past the bait, that temporary pleasure or indulgence, for the hook that’s waiting.

Show your grandkids the hook.

Repeated sin creates habits. As you get older, the consequences become more costly.

Fishing and Long-term Consequences

Let’s talk about when the fish is caught. When the short-term consequences become long-term.

What looks appetizing to the flesh could be the very thing that takes you down.

Cheating can get you expelled.

Poor food choices create disease in the body.

Unforgiveness can lead to bitterness, resentment, and relationships that are broken permanently.

Let’s tell our stories. Our struggles with bait, our close encounters with hooks, and our escapes.

Let’s help our grandkids stay clear of the hooks.

But we need some positives when it comes to fishing.

Here’s one. Fish often move about in schools. To scare off predators, some even huddle up to look like one big fish instead of lots of little ones. Accountability and friendship with other believers will help our grandchildren make hard choices. When their friends are committed to following Jesus too, they’ll avoid a lot of bait, not to mention those shiny hooks.

Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Acts 2:42 reads, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”

Our grandchildren can benefit from a strong faith-based community and part of that community is us.

Let’s pray. Father God, help us to alert our grandchildren to the bait and hooks of the world and of the enemy. Give them wisdom, discernment, and godly friends. Protect and preserve them from poor choices. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Let’s do some fishing ourselves. Fish for info. Weaknesses. Struggles. Pray with your grandkids. Reveal the hooks and show them how to avoid the bait.

Thanks for listening. Before you go, would you help me out by doing one thing?

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Or share this podcast episode with your favorite grandparent.

Thanks for joining me. Now, let’s hit the trail. See you out there.

Scripture to Help Grandparents: