I hope that anyone reading this who does not know the Savior will turn their lives over to him as they did and as I did because they shared this treasure of grace with me.
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Four things I think about when I think of my grandma:
1. When I think of my grandma, I think of Me-mom”. That’s what I called her growing up. I don’t know how I came up with that, but my guess is it simply meant she was my grandma. It was my term of endearment. And my brother Brian called her that too probably because I did. Growing up, all of my friends wanted her to be their grandma too. Some of them even called her Me-mom. They were drawn to her tenderness, hospitality, and warm ethos of her home - something many of them did not experience in their own family contexts. What many didn’t always realize is they were actually attracted to the Spirit of Christ within her. They were actually experiencing the love of God through her, and through grandpop.
2. When I think of my grandma, I think of food. What I mean is it was nearly impossible to visit her or be around her without a plate of food in front of you. She loved to cook for the family and loved to have everyone together. It was customary for us to come over after church every Sunday for those infamous Sunday dinners. It always started at 2 PM. I remember she would give grandpop the signal it was time to pray - and he would ask the blessing that seemed to just take you right into the heavenly realm. Then we’d eat alot of food. There was always enough food to feed a small country. And just as plates were getting empty, grandma would practically accuse you of having hardly eaten anything and tell you to eat more! But truth is, she was the most hospitable person I have ever known - to everyone who stepped foot in her home - she treated them like honored guests. She was a true servant - a selfless, giving woman.
3. When I think of my grandma, I think of babies and children. She loved babies! She especially liked those fat baby legs. She would pick up the babies and never let them go. She would get down on the floor with the boys and play with matchbox cars - rolling them up and down the hallway at her house. And when we were kids she had these funny names she called us: pinky, bumpy, and others I can’t recall. I never asked her where those terms came from - maybe we bumped our heads alot?
4. When I think of my grandma, I think of a brand of womanhood that is unpopular today. She exemplified a biblical brand of feminism that many today have dismissed as old-fashioned and oppressive to women. But no one who knew her would ever consider her oppressed. No sir - she was not at all bashful about telling you what she thought! She was strong-willed, spunky, confident, opinionated, but also compassionate, a faithful wife; a dedicated mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, tender, generous. She was a woman of noble and admirable character - and every young girl and woman would do well to follow her example. She was fire and fluff all wrapped up into one beautiful woman! Was she perfect? Of course not! But that’s why she had a Savior - that’s why at a young age she trusted in Christ Jesus for salvation. And it is this Jesus that made her the lady that she was.
To summarize - when I think of her, I think of the woman of noble character described in Proverbs 31:10–31.
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands...She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family… She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks...and her lamp does not go out at night...She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy...Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land… She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
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What I’m going to share is actually something I have been preparing for 15 years. As far back as I can remember he always would tell me to walk with Jesus, or he would ask if I love Jesus. When he was more certain that I did later in life, he would ask me “Do you still love Jesus?”At some point, I started to ask him the same just for fun. And we would both laugh. It became a game to see who would ask first. But anyone who knew him also knew about his faith - he wasn’t ashamed – and would share it with everyone.
It was not his family though he loved his family deeply and would gladly give up all that he had for his family. It was not even his wife of 75 years, though his love for her was fierce and beautiful and put most men to shame. His greatest treasure in all the world was Jesus Christ. And this is because Jesus did something for him that only Jesus could do.
But I’m compelled to say this because the myth of the good man getting into heaven on his own good merits needs to be shattered. The Bible says “there is no one who is righteous, not even one. There is none who does good. (Rom. 3:11-12) And it says all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. And that includes him.
He was in desperate need of a savior, and he had that need met around 1945, when he believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.
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