My Grandmother was a sweet lady. She probablly eptimizes to me more than anyone what it means to be a servant. Well apart from Christ.
I had the opportunity of speaking at her funeral. I remember the night before at the funeral home someone came up to me and said "Your grandmother was a good grandmother." I nodded my head but inside I wanted to say she was way more than that. So it inspired me to really speak on her greatness.
I chose Phil 2:1-11 as my text of how my grandmother was a someone who considered others more important than herself; looked out for the interest of others and lived a life like Christ as a humble servant. Jesus said the greatest among you is one who serves and that was my Grandmother. So to me she was more than just a good grandmother - she was the greatest among us and we didn't recoginize it.
I miss my Grandmother. I wish had more time with her. I wish my sons would have known her. Luke was 1 when she passed into glory. I wished I was more like her. I wished I cared less about myself and more about others around me. I wished my first thought was 'how can I serve'. I wished I recognized greatness not based on what the world (or the church for that matter) acknowledges.
I had an option of choosing several gifts for being on staff with Campus Crusade for 20 years. (Yes, I am that old.) I choose this one. It reminds me if Jesus as my Lord and Teacher washed feet then I am to go and do likewise and that blessing comes from doing it. It reminds me that Jesus came to serve. It reminds me of my Grandmother would easily fall to her knees and 'wash someone else's feet'. It makes me ask, "would I?".
5 comments:
I think of Aunt Sis very often. (We have a beautiful little oak chiffarobe in our bedroom that she and Uncle Carl gave us when we were newlyweds. It had belonged to Mama Baird) She was indeed a selfless, beautiful woman.
Thanks terry. It didn't dawn on me until I spoke with Laura last night that she would have been 100 yesterday. She never liked talking about her age (a point that she was not flawless) so I guess I really never thought to wonder 'now old would she have been?'.
It meant a lot to our family that all the Shaw's made it to her funeral.
Thank you for that beautiful piece about my dear "Aunt Sis", Andy. She was a wonderful aunt too. She was a beautiful person inside and out, and many of my best childhood memories involve her. Mother and I were talking about her just yesterday. I'm sure we all think of her often.
Thanks Andy. I sure miss her every day and think of things i want to ask her about. S
Andy, this is a beautiful tribute to your grandmother and my Aunt Sis. I loved her so much and remember vividly, as a child, thinking she was SO elegant. I miss her too.
You did such a wonderful job at her service and I am sure she would have been very embarrassed by your words!
Post a Comment