Page FOUR
Let’s talk faith for a minute, or shall I say the turning point.
Grandma knows best.
I often say that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. Keep one turned to the youth for their vibrancy and free spirit. While keeping the other turned to the older generations for their wisdom and experience. As we know, the greatest stories all start with “back in the day’.
My grandma Lydia was the epitome of woman of faith.
She was diagnosed with cancer when I was young. Being young, I find myself struggling to have clear memories of our times together. My older sister and brother would spend the weekends with her, often. I however, would kick, scream, cry and actively refuse. Why you might ask, well it’s because she had the traditional brown framed picture of Jesus on her wall and I would tell my mother that I couldn’t sleep because it was “staring at me”.
You all know the exact picture.
Fast forward to a 19 year old, new mother moving out into her first apartment. While cleaning out her room, she found her grandmothers Bible tucked away in the top of the closet. Little did she know it would quickly become the cornerstone, foundation and lifeline.
As time passed, hard times fell and one day that same girl hit her knees with that very Bible.
You see, grandma was a highlight, underline and take notes kind of woman. For that, I will be forever grateful. Through the pages of her Bible and every highlighted piece of scripture, I was shown the way. The more I connected with her bible, the more I wanted to learn more about her faith. One day I was given a devotional that she had stored away in a hope chest. I read every prayer she had written in the first 7 pages, that is as far as she got before she passed away. To honor her and grow in my own faith, I have spent the last few years finishing it for her. I treasured it, so I would only pick up the book when I felt called. Especially when I needed to feel a little bit closer to God. Her last prayer written:
“May I continue to depend on you for strength and guidance knowing that only in you can I find peace of mind and happiness. Forgive me when I concentrate on self and family. Help me to be the witness so that others can see Jesus in and through my life.” ”Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says Yahweh of hosts.“ -Zechariah 4:6
I find comfort and hope that her prayers from the past still blanket me today. Though I did not have an abundance of time with her, her essence lives through me today. On every Sunday I sit in church with a highlighter in hand, a pen and my sermon notebook writing the same prayers that I pray my daughter’s take comfort in someday. March 27th, 2024 I finished her book. My last prayer written:
“Lord, this is the last page of the book. I pray that I have made grandma Shaffer proud. She didn’t get to finish it but I did. I thank you for the messages passed down. May all the prayers prayed here be a blessing to those and the future. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”
Thank you Grandma Shaffer for leading to Christ every step of the way. For the prayers still protecting me today. May this be your reminder that prayer matters. When you pray to God, it transcends time because prayer lives through him and when it touches your life.