The people in our lives help to shape who we are and who we will become. Often it is our families that play the largest role in shaping us. Hopefully, it is by being a wonderful example that these people influence us. In my life, one woman in particular has had a powerful impact on my life: my great-grandmother, Inez.
Not many people are lucky enough to know their great-grandparents, so I am often reminded that I was blessed to even know mine, but having such a close relationship with my great-grandmother (who I just referred to as Grandma) made me all the more blessed. From the time I was a baby, I was “Grandma’s Little Girl,” spending nearly all day with her, five days a week, until I was eight years old. It was no secret that, although she had a daughter, I was the little girl she always wanted. While it was true that Grandma spoiled me, it has been her relationship with the LORD and love for others (especially her family) that sticks with me. She
was always giving of herself and her time to help others. Grandma loved making things with her hands, whether it was cooking, baking, knitting, crocheting, tatting, or anything like it. When she was a young woman she and her husband took in a couple nieces at different times for years at a time. Even as she aged, she would babysit as often as possible for pretty much anyone she knew and volunteered her time at church. Most importantly, she was always available when anyone needed a helping hand, a
kind word, a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on.
While she was still able, Grandma went to church every Sunday, almost always working in the nursery, and encouraging (or bribing) me to come along. She always reminded me of God’s love, both by her words and actions, and taught me that I was to respond with my love. By the time I was four, I had developed a little saying, “First I love God, then I love Jesus, then I love Grandma, then I love Momma.” I think the saying came out of me constantly telling Grandma that I loved her most, and her reminding me that I should love God first and foremost, and that I shouldn’t forget to say that I loved my mom.
After over 95 years of living, my great-grandmother went to be with Jesus on July 30, 2007. On the day of her funeral, I was accepted for this trip. In our time together, she showed me what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman, a woman after God’s own heart. She also taught me what I believe to be the essential key to living like Christ: God first, others second, me third.
Not many people are lucky enough to know their great-grandparents, so I am often reminded that I was blessed to even know mine, but having such a close relationship with my great-grandmother (who I just referred to as Grandma) made me all the more blessed. From the time I was a baby, I was “Grandma’s Little Girl,” spending nearly all day with her, five days a week, until I was eight years old. It was no secret that, although she had a daughter, I was the little girl she always wanted. While it was true that Grandma spoiled me, it has been her relationship with the LORD and love for others (especially her family) that sticks with me. She
was always giving of herself and her time to help others. Grandma loved making things with her hands, whether it was cooking, baking, knitting, crocheting, tatting, or anything like it. When she was a young woman she and her husband took in a couple nieces at different times for years at a time. Even as she aged, she would babysit as often as possible for pretty much anyone she knew and volunteered her time at church. Most importantly, she was always available when anyone needed a helping hand, a
kind word, a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on.
While she was still able, Grandma went to church every Sunday, almost always working in the nursery, and encouraging (or bribing) me to come along. She always reminded me of God’s love, both by her words and actions, and taught me that I was to respond with my love. By the time I was four, I had developed a little saying, “First I love God, then I love Jesus, then I love Grandma, then I love Momma.” I think the saying came out of me constantly telling Grandma that I loved her most, and her reminding me that I should love God first and foremost, and that I shouldn’t forget to say that I loved my mom.
After over 95 years of living, my great-grandmother went to be with Jesus on July 30, 2007. On the day of her funeral, I was accepted for this trip. In our time together, she showed me what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman, a woman after God’s own heart. She also taught me what I believe to be the essential key to living like Christ: God first, others second, me third.
