Grandmother

Last week was a hard one for my family. My 95 year old grandmother passed away and went home to be with the Lord. She left us on Palm Sunday. The last words she was able to speak to me were "I love you so much." I will miss her greatly. Her funeral was on Good Friday, one week ago today. I am thankful for all that she brought to my life. She was a part of my life from Day one. I was born on her 59th Birthday. I grew up in the same town as her. I have so many memories of her and I am grateful for every moment I spent with her. I was asked to give a tribute to her at her funeral. I was honored to be able to do that. At the end of my tribute I read a quote from a book by Mark Rutland. I read these words the day after she passed away. "Behind us, behind each of us, remaining after we make our exit, is what is called heritage, a legacy of life. Even from beyond the grave, lives can be touched, will be touched....... A life lived in the power of Jesus' life is a witness that cannot be silenced. The prayers of the saintly grandmother, the inheritance of a christian dad- these live on." These words summed up my grandma's life.

Love

I am finding that more and more I am learning to value those things that are the most important in my life. God, My wife, my kids, my family. I am not sure if it is because of my grandma's death but I see where love is absolutely the most important, central thing in my life. I read these words during my devotions the other day: Somehow we just can't wrap our minds around the idea of love. We can't nail it down and say, "There, I've got you." Love is weak yet tough, vulnerable yet strong. It chooses to lose but can never be beaten. It puts itself last yet always leads the way. It is mysterious, yet it came in flesh and stood before us. It is death- yet it is life. Must we love? It is like asking, "Must we breathe?" No we do not have to breathe, and no, we do not have to love. But the consequences of both are the same. When we choose to be hardened by the events of life we fail to truly live. I loved my grandma. Therefore, because I loved my grandma, her death hurt. If I would chosen not to love her as much, her death would have been easier for me to take. When we choose to love deeply we open ourselves to be hurt deeply. But if we choose not to love, we choose not to live and miss out on some of the greatest people and relationships God has to offer us. Especially the relationship He offers us through His Son Jesus.

Change up

I am one of those people who believes that for the most part change is good. It is refreshing and helps to keep us alive. One of the ideas I have had this year is to get a chronological bible and read through it this year. So far it has been good for me. It gives me a better idea of how the events flowed along with what was happening in the secular world around them. I had a thought this morning. For the most part people who say they like change don't like tradition very much. I have a question then; Is it possible for change to become traditional?