A Life Like His

Stop by the next couple of weeks for contributions to honor my
father and my grandfathers, and to my Heavenly Father. I hope you enjoy this little
journey with me leading up to Father’s Day.

Growing
up, my family and I lived upstairs from my grandparents. We lived in a duplex
house and had the amazing opportunity to see our grandparents’ every day. Growing
up, I always wanted my kids to know these two extraordinary people.

My grandma would be there to give a firm hand when we needed
and claims I am the only one she ever needed to spank. However, when I was
sick, I would go to grandma to be nursed and spoiled with all her attention.
Fortunately, we are blessed to still have her, vibrant and sassy, in our lives
and in the lives of my kids.

My grandpa was the most faithful man I ever knew. I remember
him sitting up early every morning, coffee in hand, and reading his Bible and praying.

My grandparents always served in the church and I can remember
Grandpa singing in the choir and like me he loved to sing loudly and it was
always a joyful noise.

They both served in the AWANA program. They went to Sunday school
and to church Sunday nights. Church was not something they just did out of
habit it was one way they served and worshipped their Lord.

In fact, my grandfather was often times the only one, along
with the pastor, who would show up every Wednesday morning for prayer meeting.
What an example of devotion to God and the opportunity for prayer.  

Grandpa would take us to Sunday school every Sunday and if
we were not in the car the moment he wanted to leave he sat in the car honking
his horn until we arrived.  We always
thought it was funny.

We would rush to the car and as we got in he would tell us
not to slam the doors. Then he would zip through town in his little car barely
stopping at each light and sign. Apparently, when my grandpa learned to drive,
stopping was more of an option and not necessarily a rule of the road.  

My grandma and grandpa were not always believers and didn’t come
to the Lord until they were in their twenties. They became two clear examples
of people who knew what they were redeemed from and were grateful for God’s
redeeming grace.

I still have the awesome opportunity to worship with my
grandma and we are going to be in a Bible study together this summer. My
grandma has been one of my best friends and we have had many times together
sharing our faith. Grandma stories I have to save for another day.

My grandpa was fun, loving, honorable, and faithful. He was devoted
endlessly to his family, had a great sense of humor, and a love for Jesus that
was undeniable. He spent his life giving back all God had given to him.

My grandpa passed away six weeks before I got married. We
were all at the hospital his final week of life. No one wanted to leave him for
a moment because we wanted to absorb every second of life that we had left with
him.

My grandpa was at such a deep peace. He seemed to be the
only one ready to let go. He would call people to his bedside to take the
opportunity to witness to them or give them some final life advice.

He would sit and talk to my grandma and hold onto her for
every moment he had left to comfort her. If he had one concern it was that she
would be okay even though he knew God would take care of her like He always
had.

He would call my mom and aunt to his side to sing an old
hymn or to sing Jesus Loves Me. He would tell us confidently that he was ready
to go home to see his Lord. He was playing cards and loving each and every one
of us until the moment he closed His eyes and left this world.

Even though our hearts were broken they were filled with peace
because we knew he was no longer hurting, he could no longer be sick, and he
was in the most awesome place you could ever imagine being, in the presence of
his Loving Father.

Instead of filling the funeral home with tears and sadness,
it was a time to celebrate a life well lived. It was a time to celebrate the
promises of God. It was a time to remember this world is not our home and
someday we will be able to rejoice, like grandpa, in the presence of our
Heavenly Father.

My grandpa is missed so very much by the people who were
blessed enough to know him. He was a loving example of a Christ-filled life
that we had the incredible opportunity to be a part of.

My grandma told
me that grandpa’s favorite verse (although he loved them all) was John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.

His life was a legacy of a faithful man. One I can look at long
after he is gone and know the reality of the promises of God and the blessings
of a life surrendered. He loved John 3:16 and his life showed that he loved
Jesus for choosing to take our place in a death that we deserved. He lived life
based on the promise of an eternal life. And he lived knowing and showing that it is an
eternal life that starts here. What a blessing!

I thank the Lord for the people that He gives us and hope
that we too can be that someone to the people that we are given to love.

 

                                              

We used to drive to Florida (24 hours) and listen to this song over and over and sing it to Grandpa. Takes me back.