Trinity Baptist Church, Madison
When I was 6 years old my parents divorced. For a time I lived with my grandparents in Hokes Bluff. Over the years I became particularly close to my granddaddy. I saw how he treated my brother and me with love and how he offered us guidance. He taught me to fish and throw a baseball and how to ski. He was a provider, working hard for long hours. We always went to church where he served as a deacon. When my grandmother passed away I saw my granddaddy weep and experience the deep stages of grief — but later I noticed it was not grief without hope. My granddaddy read his Bible daily and he underlined every word as he read. He taught us to pray before we ate a meal that was a blessing to enjoy.
At some point, I now know, I was seeing Christ in him. God used my granddaddy to reach me. I wanted what he had in his life. It was not always an easy life but he had a joy about him that was so attractive to others. He had what the Bible calls a “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). When I asked him about the source of his strength and joy he told me about Jesus. I prayed and accepted Christ in my grandparents’ living room.
The peace, joy and guiding presence we often see in those devoted to God can be yours too. Christ is eager to be in relationship with us all because we all are loved by God. I remember that day when I knelt on the living room floor and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. At that moment of prayer, salvation happened and a lifelong journey of walking with God began. If you are looking for more in your life — peace, joy and an abiding presence of God’s love — you can kneel and pray and accept the gift of God’s salvation and love too. Simply bow, speak your heart to God, ask for forgiveness and invite Christ to come into your life for good. Before you know it, others will see the difference in you; they will see Christ in you.
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