Lizzy and I had a dear friend, who lost her battle with cancer late last month. But, she was ready. Deb was a teacher who had taught with Lizzy for many years. At Deb’s funeral, she left this letter to her grandkids. Listen as she give “advice from a Grandmother.”
The best advice anyone ever gave me was to believe in God, our heavenly father!
I always went to Sunday school and church. I thought I was being a good listener. We read about the life of Jesus, his death, and resurrection.
However, I recently discovered that I had missed out on something very important. Jesus needed my help. He needs me to be his hands and feet on earth. When I find myself in the position to help someone, I need to feel happy and blessed, because God is using me to answer the prayer of another person.
I am doing much better in this area, but I now know that I still need to help and love others more. I went to Israel to work at a camp where some children believed in Jesus and some did not. My job was to help them get along and love one another, instead of hating.
I have worked feeding the homeless and giving them clean socks and underwear. That is what Jesus would do if he lived here on earth.
When I was teaching, we collected money to help drill a well in Africa. The children there only had dirty water that made them sick.
We also had a diaper drive. Some parents can’t afford diapers for their babies and they might be in the same one for several days. This makes them very sick. I think your mommy gave me diapers for this cause.
I know you have also acted as the hands and feet of Jesus. You gave mittens to children at Christmas. You brought cookies to firemen. And, you sang songs for older people. They so enjoyed your sweet smile‘s and angelic voices. Even opening a heavy door for another person is treating them with respect and love. Giving a birthday treat to another person makes them feel extremely special too. Jesus smiles down upon you with even the smallest act of kindness.
I came across this idea I really liked. I think I could use it to make some really good intentional decisions. Perhaps you would like to join me? The idea is to decorate a box and put it somewhere you can easily find it. Then, whenever you do even the tiniest thing to help or love on someone, you write that down on a piece of paper, date it, and then put it in the box. Keep adding these acts of kindness until Christmas. Then open the box and take turns reading how you helped Jesus, by being his hands and feet, on earth. New Year’s Day would be a good time to talk about other things you could do during the new year.
As your grandmother, I am so glad that you started going to Sunday school. You will be able to talk about Jesus with other children. Everyone on earth needs to know that God loves us and made many sacrifices so we could live in heaven with him one day.
I am going to continue looking for ways to love and help people as I continue to learn more about Jesus. I pray that you will do the same.
This is Deb’s prayer for her grandchildren. This letter speaks to the heart of a grandmother. Deb’s “advice from a grandmother” prioritizes what is important to God. I knew Deb, and I watched as she grew in faith. Her experiences taught her what was important to our heavenly father. We all need to heed her words
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
—1 John 4:11
Also, see Love the Mother of Your Children.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear