Thank you all for the kind words for my grandpa yesterday. I haven’t ever been super close to my grandparents, but I have good memories with all of them so it is hard to see them come to their end of their lives. My maternal grandpa wasn’t always the nicest person to be around, but he invested a lot of time into me and I have great memories of him.
For a couple of years, when I was 13 or 14, my grandpa and I played tennis together weekly. During the summer, I would get up early and ride with my dad on his way to work, and he would drop me off at my grandparents house so my grandpa and I could play a couple of games of tennis before it got hot. Sometimes we played in the afternoon, and I remember riding to and from the tennis courts in my grandpa’s un-airconditioned Sunbird. Ugh. :)
My grandpa had played and coached sports for years, so what he lacked in speed as he got older, he made up for in strategy. He had a wicked way of slicing the tennis ball so that it would take the bounce opposite of what you were expecting. And whenever we played, whatever the score was, he’d say “last point wins the match”!
My grandpa didn’t have a particularly easy life. Often it seemed like he wanted to suffer rather than to choose joy, and unfortunately he suffered great physical pain as he was dying. I wish I could say that his death is bittersweet; that his suffering on earth has finally come to an end and he is experiencing the joy of worshiping Christ in heaven, but my grandpa rejected Christ often in his life. While I would love to believe that he is now in heaven, as far as I know, my grandpa never accepted God’s gift of forgiveness for his sin. Unless God changed his heart in his final hours, he is suffering more now than he did on earth, and that makes his death hard for me.
I’m sorry to not really have any “chatter” today, but I know that while death and heaven and hell are not fun things to talk about, it is ultimately the most important thing I can ever post about.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7 ESV)
Here are answers to many questions about death and salvation.
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Thank you for your words, Carrie. As sad as it is, I am glad that you have used this space to speak about reality. We need these words as reminders of what life is really about. I will pray that these words speak powerfully into your readers’ hearts.
Thanks for sharing- loosing a loved one and not seeing them accept Christ is never easy. May God comfort you all during this season.
Carrie,
I am so sorry to hear about your Grandpa. Death is never easy, especially when our loved ones have not lived a Christ-centered life. My grandpa too lived a difficult life and often chose to suffer rather than enjoy the good in life. I believe that God is more merciful than we can ever comprehend. He knows our thoughts and our hearts. We are His children. He loves us and He wants the best for us. Have hope that through Christ’s atonement, everything will work out. You are a living legacy for your Grandpa. Thank you for sharing your sweet memories!