Grandmothers

Week 19, Weekend

Eydie Thomas

Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father.

Proverbs 17:6 (nkjv)

I have had the awesome privilege to know four incredible women who have led extraordinary lives and been through many difficult circumstances. They have encountered loss, sadness, depression, trials, and heartaches, yet through it all their constant source of strength was a life devoted to Christ. The testament of their life has always pointed me toward Christ. These women are the grandparents and great-grandparents in my life.

My Gran was the model of unconditional love, warmly embracing her children and grandchildren. Her heart was wide and deep enough to love with equal extravagance those who were hers by birth and those who became hers through remarriage after her first husband died. Nanny was a prayer warrior, seeking the heart of God for her family. Even when sickness sapped her strength, she was faithfully praying God’s favor into our lives. Grandmother is a special counselor whose warmth of spirit surrounds us each time we enter her house. She always takes time for us, baking and listening about our lives. Granny Jenkins was the worship leader. Christ was her passion, and her heart would burst open with shouts of praise! The pulsing praise from her passionate heart for Christ still inspires me. The lives of these amazing women in some way have pointed me toward Christ.

Solomon proclaimed that grandchildren are a crown of honor upon the heads of grandparents—those who have passed on a legacy of living in the steps of the Savior, who have given their grandchildren a rich heritage of faith, and who see their faithfulness to Christ borne out in living testimonies of love. We are the children and grandchildren who have been blessed by the love of Christ flowing unfettered from the hearts of these amazing women. They have tutored us by the rule of God’s law and blessed us by the tender caress of grace. They have nurtured us on the Word of Christ, enriched us by the Spirit of Christ, and matured us in the way of Christ.

Father, may we as children and grandchildren walk faithfully the path that godly parents and grandparents have trod. May we continue to pass on the legacy of faith and the heritage of love that has showered down upon us from grandparents. In Jesus’ name, amen.