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Following Footsteps

I Thank God Every Time I Remember You…

This past week I experienced a whirlwind of emotions. On Monday, I found out that my paternal grandmother passed away after a long struggle with dementia. The woman I knew and loved had been gone for a long time, although slight glimpses of her personality seemed to trickle through. In between moments of sadness, God reminded me of the stories of joy. 


My grandmother loved Jesus. It was evident in her every breath. When she wasn’t wandering the hallways of her Alabama home humming the tune of How Great Thou Art, she would be sitting at the piano rehearsing a hymn that her heart had memorized. She poured love into everything she did, including her homemade buttermilk biscuits that magically showed up at every meal of the day. She wore her love for Jesus in her smile. In nearly every photo, she is grinning from ear to ear. 


She began a story of faith for my family. Her love of Jesus was contagious. My dad came to know Christ through his parents’ spiritual mentoring. I became a Christ follower because of the foundational work my parents laid before me. Perhaps my call to ministry was influenced by the deep love of my grandmother. She believed in me and loved me into the Kingdom.



God works through all kinds of people to speak grace into our lives. Sometimes it’s a best friend or a co-worker, a spouse or a child. In my case, God spoke to me through my grandmother. “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” May God remind you of the faithful saints who welcomed you into the Kingdom.

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