My Grandpa passed away this past Monday. I got the news on my way to my first Doctoral session in Florida. Needless to say I won't be able to attend the funeral and so I wrote this tribute to Grandpa.
I have many memories of Grandpa. Playing baseball out in the yard in Kleefeld, getting milk from the farm down the road and later on in life listening to him play in the Harmonica Band. He and Grandma were at my graduation, our wedding, and he never missed an opportunity to encourage and support his Grandchildren. Yet the memory that I want to keep alive is of the last time I visited him. I visited him in hospital the week before he passed away. He was in a lot of discomfort and looked very sick. Our visit was brief but his request was for me to read Philippians 4. He said he wanted to hear especially vs. 13 "I can do all things through Christ." Grandpa 's faith in God demonstrated a deep devotion to honouring Scripture. He not only read it, but allowed it to read him. And on this day this passage not only reminded Grandpa of God's surpassing strength, it taught me. This passage could preach many sermons and on that day it spoke very clearly to me. It convicted me of a lack of focus, it reminded me of the peace that comes from a confident reliance on God and it encouraged me to live a life that people could follow. For me that passage is the manifesto that I saw Grandpa live out. From the call to joy in verse 4, to the reminder that "the Lord is at hand" in verse 5. The passage speaks about "practicing" the things that have been taught about living a Godly life. Grandpa's faith was not an intellectual one, or even one based on strick emotion or ritual. His faith was one about doing what you were convicted to do. And where does the strength come to live that life? Only when we are anchored in Jesus Christ. I pray that I never lose the significance of the last visit I had with Grandpa. My prayer is that I would know (read: practice) Scripture in same honest way that Grandpa did.
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