My Grandma was an amazing person. I will never forget her; that would be impossible. So much of me, and who I am as a young woman, is because of her powerful influence. She watched me take my first breath as I entered this world, and I watched her take her last breath as she left it. She has lived with me from day one, for my entire life. The first thing I did every morning for as long as I can remember was to go say good morning to her. And she has been such a strong inspiration of the Christian faith to me. Between my first breath and her last breath hang 23 years full of thousands and thousands of memories. And those will forever be treasures to me.
However, my loving Grandma lived a life before I came into the picture. She had a very rough, abusive childhood. She and her siblings were raised in Colombia in the 1950s and 60s. She grew up, got married, and had 2 children, one of them being my mom. She lived a very extravagant life being married, having much wealth. But when her marriage went awry, she moved to the USA when my mom was 12 years old. They restarted their life and had very humble beginnings. As my mom grew up, she and my Grandma worked hard to make ends meet. And even though my Grandma never really got lost in the ways of the world, she still was missing something very big: Jesus.
My mom went to a church with my Grandma in 1997, and then my mom got saved. My Grandma was more hesitant. But the Holy Spirit worked on her heart, and she surrendered her life to the Lord. She even got baptized on the same day as my mom! My Grandma’s life was all right before. But suddenly, her life became exceedingly and abundantly more than all she could ever ask or imagine when she let Jesus into her heart.
I was born shortly after she became a believer. And from my first moments of life all the way up until she died, she was a true embodiment of a Proverbs 31 woman. She was an amazing woman of God. I had the blessing of having her live with me my whole life. And she was the person I have always felt the closest to. From the minute I could talk, we became best friends. My childhood memories are filled with my Grandma: her beautiful smile, her joy-filled laugh, her beautiful voice praising God, and her gentle hands which held me with so much love and care. And as I grew up, she taught me so many things about God and the Bible. I will never forget when we’d read her Spanish Bible together; it was so special to me.
When I became an older teenager and a young adult, our relationship shifted to more of a friend and a confidant. We would talk for hours and hours about many things. We talked about life, my school, my job. But what we liked to talk about the most was God. We talked about various topics involving the Christian faith and the Bible. And she shared much wisdom with me regarding how to be a Godly wife and mother one day. She truly was my mentor and teacher, and I was her faithful student.
But my Grandma not only impacted me with her faith, but countless others in our family and at her church as well. Most of her time was spent digging deep in The Word, on her knees in prayer, and evangelizing. She regularly contacted all the members in our family to talk with them at length about the Lord and the Gospel. My Grandma read her Bible for hours at a time, and loved sharing that wisdom with all around her. She ministered weekly at her church, and knew everybody by name. Many people came to her memorial service, and all who were there shared the same thing: that my Grandma had impacted them with her devotion to the Lord and with her love for all those in her life.
My Grandma was special. She was one of a kind. The gap she leaves in my life is indescribable. But though her body is dead, her spirit is alive. And she will forever be doing the one thing she loved most to do: worshiping and praising God. I miss her more than words can describe, but I will see her again. And I know we will rejoice when we are reunited in heaven. I love you Grandma, see you later, and thank you for everything.
Love,
Your Granddaughter
To those of you experiencing grief and the loss of a loved one, I want to say this. Jesus is near. He cries with you when you miss them, and He rejoices with you when you think of them and smile or laugh. Grief isn’t linear, and it challenges the normalcy of life. But it is not too great of a cross that you cannot bear with the Lord’s help. He is near to the broken-hearted, and the sacrifices of the Lord are broken and contrite spirits. Allow the Lord to heal your heart and your hurt in grief. And be kind to your heart and be mindful of your needs during this challenging time. Let the Lord’s grace and the Lord’s wings be your refuge and your hiding place in this time. He is Jehovah Jireh, the healer. And He can heal the hurting hearts of all who draw near to Him.
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