Conversations with God

Hello God, it’s me, Mara:

You know, Lord, when we were just little kids out on the ranch, far from town or neighbors, Grandpa, then a widower, lived out of state, made trips out to see us. Grandpa usually brought along a small paper or wooden wall-hanging with one of his favorite Bible verses. Throughout the years, the verses from Grandpa hung in Dad and Mom’s bedroom, several in the room for us girls and one in the living room.

We were all pretty little back then but Grandpa would hold little sister or our new baby brother and tell us Bible Stores about which-ever wall-hanging he’d brought that trip.

The last small wall-hanging he bought was about death. He told us how he and Grandma knew this truth, that if Jesus was in our life, then our lives have no end – that death doesn’t strip life from us but ushers us into life in Your very presence, Lord! We didn’t understand all that because we were little, but since Grandpa was telling us, we listened.

Maybe Grandpa prayed for us, something like: “Thank you, eternal God, for sending Jesus to show us Your love, and thank You Father for sending Him again – soon - to take me home. You’re my anchor in the storms of life and You know there have been many dark nights reminding me of Your undying love”.

The last verse he shared with us was Philippians 1:21: “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Grandpa told how he was looking forward to seeing Jesus and family members. He lived about six months after that visit and then went ‘home’ to meet You, Lord, and see his family.

Thank You, Lord, for being our anchor in the storms of life, and our light in the darkest nights to remind us of Your undying love.

Love, Mara