During the summer, many grandparents will vacation with their grandchildren. Some will go camping. It is an excellent opportunity to spend extra time with the possibility of quality interaction. Now imagine you are camping with your grandchildren in the mountains. You have cooked your campfire stew for dinner, and you are relaxing around the campfire beside a big lake. It is perfectly still; there is no wind. The lake is a mirror reflecting a beautiful sunset. Sticky-fingered grandchildren delight in s’mores while skipping stones across the lake’s glassy surface. They are enthralled with the traveling waves seeing who can make the biggest ripples. 

Grandpa tells Grandma, “Just as the kids are making ripples in the water with the rocks, we can make ripples in the lives of our grandchildren with our prayers.” So likewise, our prayers for our grandchildren to invite Jesus Christ into other lives and walk with Him throughout their lives will have a ripple effect on their families, friends, world, and future.

Another way we as grandparents can have a ripple effect on the lives of our grandchildren is by the way we live our lives. As we seek the Lord ourselves, investing time, energy, and effort in our spiritual walk with Him, our example will have a ripple effect on our children, grandchildren, and future generations. 

My Great-grandfather’s Prayer

I found a letter in my family archives written by my great-grandfather in Poland, addressed to my grandfather, who had immigrated to America. In the letter, he wrote that he was praying for my grandfather and his future generations. It was a special blessing for me to see in writing that my great-grandfather prayed for me before I was born. His prayers had a ripple effect on my grandparents, parents, my life, children, grandchildren, and now my great-granddaughters.

You have the privilege to start the ripples in your family if you did not have a Christian heritage. Prayer is the greatest gift we can give our family. Material things are needed, but they are temporary. Our prayers will affect them for a lifetime. 

Personal Reflection:

• Are you creating a ripple effect on your grandchildren and their parents?
• How can you have a ripple effect on the lives of your grandchildren?
• Are you praying for your future generations?
• Do you communicate with your grandchildren and their parents that you are praying for them?

This blog is taken from Grandparenting with a Purpose, Effective Ways to Pray for your Grandchildren, available on the website www.gdptpr.com. Lillian Penner is the Prayer Director for Christian Grandparenting Network.