Email

Bookmark

Print

Forgiveness is What the Lord Wants

Last month, I was reading Focus on the Family magazine when I noticed they were looking for stories about people in your life whom you considered to be heroes. As I thought about it, I realized many people - such as police officers, firefighters, and soldiers who put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect - are regarded as heroes and they deserve this recognition.

Regrettably, there are also athletes and entertainers who live questionable lives yet get the attention fit for a hero.

Humble Heroes
However, there is a third group of people who live humble lives and do as the Lord commands, and yet few people know of them or what kind of impact they have on the lives of others, and fewer still regard them as heroes. Some of these people are our grandparents.

How often do we take our grandparents for granted? When we are children, they are there to babysit us and to spoil us when they can. But if they are Christians, their impact on our lives goes far beyond a few fun-filled hours or a handful of sweets. In fact, their contributions to our lives can have eternal consequences.

My Hero
Take my grandmother, for example. She was a remarkable woman. What made her remarkable was her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a child, I remember her always singing hymns and children’s songs. She taught me Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children and many other songs. She also talked often about her Sunday school classes and the children she worked with there. There was always something special about her that piqued my curiosity, but I could never put my finger on it.

Later, as a rebellious teen, I delighted in trying to get her hackles up by questioning her faith. But instead of yelling at me, she simply showed me passages in the Bible or, better, quoted them from memory, complete with chapter and verse.

I remember when I would say goodnight to her, she would be in bed with her Bible on her lap re-reading what was taught last Sunday or going over what was yet to come. She would share the importance of study and explain why when people say they have read the Bible and know it all, they really don’t. For the Bible, she said, is not to be read once and then put away. It is to be read and re-read for the rest of your life.

Harmonizing Together
When I was sixteen, Grandma came to live with us for a while. While at our place, she attended the local Baptist Church and I would go along with her. Each Sunday, we would sit together and harmonize during the hymns. This is my favourite memory of my Grandma. I loved singing with her, and I truly miss that part of my life.

As I grew older, I learned more about the Lord simply by watching “Grams,” as I called her. Eventually, I saw something in her that I was missing: an unending joy. Grams possessed it, and I knew it could only come from knowing Jesus. So, desiring to have what she had, I accepted Jesus into my heart and was baptized not long before her birthday that year. She never said it, but I’m certain it was the best birthday gift I ever gave her. I realized the joy she had in the Lord was so great that she had to share it with me, and she did. My only hope is that I have that same glow, that same light she had and that my grandchildren will see it, too.

Christ-Directed Life
I saw another side of Grams when I was in my twenties - a very compassionate and forgiving side. My grandmother’s first husband was not a very loving man. It was a marriage that should not have been, a marriage that ended in divorce. As painful as that experience was, Grams did not stop being Christ-like in the way she treated him. She was always polite and kind toward him when he came to visit. And because of her Christ-likeness, he treated her with respect. Thus, I was not surprised when, one day after Grandpa left, Grams called me aside and related that he just told her that his greatest regret was having pushed her into a divorce. I wasn’t shocked, but she sure was! In retrospect, she shouldn’t have been, because she lived her life as Christ directed. Grandpa saw it, and, with some sadness, realized what he had missed out on: living his life with this awesome woman. As for forgiveness, when my husband Rob and I got married, Grams made a point of sitting down next to Grandpa’s second wife Eleanor and saying, “Let’s let bygones be bygones.” Forgiveness is what the Lord wants us to do, to forgive others as He has forgiven us.

She was a Living Example
So why is Grams my hero? Because she taught me so much without having to say a word. It’s amazing how one person can make such an indelible mark on your life. The children’s songs that I loved as a child but rolled my eyes at as a teen mean more to me now as I sing them to my own children. Reading the Bible and having devotions with my children remind me of how she shared so much of her faith with me. And we can all learn from her example of forgiveness. If anyone had a reason to hold onto anger, it was Grandma. But the Bible tells us to NEVER let the sun go down on our anger. That means: let it go! It will only devour you and make your testimony of Christ’s forgiveness null and void. My grandma made sure this never happened to her.

Instead of bitterness, Grandma had a glow about her that could only come from knowing the Lord. The Holy Spirit resided within her and became a beacon to me. I just pray it touched others as it touched me.

Thank you, Jesus for giving us this remarkable woman. She is home with you now, and as hard as it is for me to let her go, I am also a bit envious that gets to be with you right now. But I know we will all be reunited one day, and we will harmonize together in your choir for all eternity.  

Related Reading:
A marriage beyond expectations
Live a Life of purpose
Need advice? Ask us.

Kevin Miller is a freelance writer, editor and educator from Abbotsford, BC. Over the past several years, he has written, co-written and contributed to 26 books, both fiction and non-fiction. Recent titles include KidDictionary, Soul Retreats for Students and The World's Easiest Pocket Guide to Buying Your First Home. He has also written dozens of articles for websites, magazines and newspapers, including Faith Today, BC Christian News and Maranatha News. Learn more about Kevin by clicking here to visit his website.