I received a card in the mail from my aunt and uncle for Thanksgiving. It is not unusual for me to receive a card from them at Thanksgiving as they are very close to my heart and very gracious people, but when I looked at this card there was something different. The card I received had the picture of a little girl kneeling down in prayer with fruit all around her. She was wearing an apron and had her hands folded and her gaze was focused in a direction off to the side. It was clear that her focus was not on anything in the picture, but something beyond her natural surroundings. As I pondered the front of this card, I thought to myself, "There is something familiar about this card. It seems like it is from someone other than my aunt and uncle."
This peaked my interest as I opened the card. Why had my aunt picked this particular card and why was it so different from the others I have received over the years? When I read the words of the card, tears flowed down my face. This card was purchased by my beloved grandmother! My aunt had found it in a box and blessed me so much by sending it to me this Thanksgiving. My grandmother is the woman who raised my sister and me for the first ten years of our lives as our mom worked long hours to support us. She is the one who introduced me to Jesus and modeled the life that I live to this day. Not only did she buy this card, but she blessed me with a reminder of the legacy of her life which beats in my heart and runs through my veins with each breath I take.
My grandmother was a woman of prayer. Each morning when I woke up, I would find her sitting at the kitchen table with her Bible open and her long prayer list in front of her. My grandmother had an 8th grade education so she kept a dictionary on the table with her Bible in case there was a word she needed to look up. I believe her day started much earlier than mine as she diligently sought the Lord and trusted Him with the many prayers she prayed. The circumstances of her life were not perfect and as I look back, many were painful, but her morning time with Jesus led to days filled with joy, generosity, service to others, and so much love.
Often as we were going about our day, my grandmother would spontaneously dance with joy as she kicked her feet and clapped her hands. She was the only grandma I knew who played baseball in her dress and ran the bases in record time as her hard hit ball sailed over the school yard fence. She made my sister and I hand-stirred milkshakes upon our request. And we ate dessert left-over from the previous night for breakfast! She played cards with us, she laughed with us, and she cooked and baked all of our favorite foods daily. She made sure we worked hard at school to gain the education she lacked. She gave her life to us on a daily basis and was a picture of the love of Jesus! It is through her prayers and faith and the way she lived that I was won over to the kingdom of Jesus!
She was not a Christian speaker, a ministry leader or an author. She was not the most popular woman in her church, but the friends she had were close. She was a lover of her neighbors, a generous giver, and a humble woman. She was a person who lacked nothing because of the gift of Jesus she carried in her heart. She gave and gave with a gracious heart and an unlimited supply of love and resources! She was a picture of the unlimited provision of God which exceeds our own needs and overflows to share with our neighbors, family, and friends! Her life was a legacy of prayer and Thanksgiving. And she lived this legacy everyday! Everyday with my grandmother was Thanksgiving.
On this day I received my card, many miles away, my sister was praying for an encouragement from the Lord as she was preparing to speak at a "Thanksgiving Tea." The topic of her discussion was the legacy of my grandmother. My grandmother has grandchildren and great-grandchildren who carry her name. She is often a discussion at our family gatherings. She has left much love, joy, prayer, faith and thanksgiving to the generations that have followed her. As my sister prepared to share these things, she received her own card in the mail. A card my grandmother had purchased more than 25 years ago. A card that might have seemed lost in a box, but was divinely set aside through prayer and faith! A card from my grandmother to be the encouragement my sister needed and asked for!
Thank you, Jesus, for my grandmother. Help me to live a life like hers! I pray Lord that long after I am gone, my life will be an encouragement to the generations to come. Let my life be remembered as one lived with thanksgiving, joy, love, prayer, and great faith! I love you, Lord! Thank you for the precious encouragement You sent through two simple cards in the mail this Thanksgiving! And please give my grandma a hug and kiss from me today in heaven! In Jesus' precious name, Amen.
