My Grandmother

In keeping with last weeks theme on the girltalk blog, I wanted to spend a few minutes honoring my grandmother "King" (paternal). "Why?" you might ask. Because after reading various posts from other people who honored their grandmothers, I was once again struck by the awesome impact we women have on one another. Older women like grandmothers have already spent their lives; some for good, some -well, not so good.

As a young Mother of 3 kids, I am so thankful to have been touched by my savior's hand. I am motivated by the gospel and by the truth of God's word to use my role as a wife and Mother to touch my children's heart for eternity. I have the ability right before be to woo their little hearts toward the Savior or to give them a bad taste for the things of God by my lack of obedience. Knowing this, I will make every effort to practice all that I can, by Christ's grace, to teach my daughters to be godly women- by my example. I will teach my son to love and honor me, his mom, so that in turn he might honor and love his wife when the time comes. How will I do this? I will do this (by God's grace) by praying for them, loving my husband, caring for my home, loving them tenderly, trusting God and allowing my children to see my dependence on the Lord, talking to them and taking them out, taking every opportunity to teach them- What am awesome responsibility this is!

When I am an old woman I desire for my grand children as well as my great- grandchildren to love Christ because they saw their grandmother live every moment of her life living a life to bring glory to God!

I had a grandmother who touched my life in such a way. She had lived a country girl's live mostly in Kentucky.When she was twelve years old, she tragically contracted tuberculosis which is often fatal. She survived, but would be haunted by bad health the rest of her life. She never allowed her bad health to crush her determination and spirit. She loved people and she loved to laugh and so it was a crushing blow when her Mother forced her into a marriage with a man whom she thought would be the only man to ever ask considering her bad health. The man whisked her away into a loveless and miserable life of debt, gambling and eventually incarceration (on his part). She divorced him, later to marry my grandfather who was a world war 2 army man. She fell in love with him and continued to love him despite his infidelity and sharp tongue. By now, you might be wondering how this story is inspiring? Well, despite the loveless life she experienced by her husbands, her remarkable faith and love for her Savior never erased her joy. Every time I saw her, she boasted of Christ's love for her. She served my grandfather with a sacrificial and love- filled heart. She never lacked for songs bursting out of her mouth. Even when her lungs were too weak to hold much air, she still warbled out hymns she used to be able to belt out with beautiful and remarkable power. Her home was filled with warm and funny stories of her years. She did speak of the hard and difficult times but never once did she speak of them with malice or bitterness, she always spoke of them with quiet peace. You see, my grandmother was very aware of her Savior's love. She knew that she, in her sin, deserved far worse- she deserved death and the wrath of God, but her Savior saved her from that wrath and so she only remembered that she was a sinner as well- She readily forgave her husband for all of the offences against her. I used to be amazed at her courage and strength. I used to ask her, "Why didn't you leave him, Grandma? You had every right to!" She would look at me tenderly and almost with pity as if I had missed something and say, "Honey, how could I leave? If God could forgive me, I can forgive anybody! When I said 'I do' I meant it." Two days before she died in 2005, I was at her bedside with her fist grandson in my arms- my son, Timothy, my dear sister and our husbands singing her favorite hymn, "Amazing Grace!". She had tears streaming down her wrinkled, and faded face and I knew, even in her paralyzed state, that she was ready to meet the one who had showed her that amazing grace which so freely poured out to all who had ever been blessed to have known her.