My Grandpa's Legacy

We were all singing the familiar song that I've been singing my whole life.  My cousins...many of which I have never met...young and old all singing "Come and Dine."  My aunts and uncles beaming with peace to have their family together.

I will never forget years ago when my Grandpa said to the whole family as tears fell that it was his desire for us all to love Jesus.  Above anything, that was his wish for us.  This strong, very masculine man, the patriarch of a very large family, weeping.  It was almost too much for me.

My family has flaws like anyone else.  But at the very center of everything is Jesus.  My grandparents loved Jesus.  And that permeated through every fiber in our family.  We were a family of Jesus people who just loved.  And loved well.

I have thought many times that it is almost unfair to come from such an amazing family.  It doesn't quite prepare you for the world.  It's deceitful in its presentation of what people are like.  When you come from a family where malice, deceit, betrayal, just pure ugliness doesn't have much room, it's difficult to comprehend that many others have these as a resounding trait.

I was naive.

I remember the first time I met these traits.  In myself.  I hid in my parents' bedroom, ashamed that such traits were inside of me.  But I was up close and familiar with the Man who remedies that.  And I chose to hide in my parents' room.  They love Jesus. I didn't recognize it at the time, but their room was a safe haven where I could sort out the ugliness.   After all, they were the ones who introduced me to the Man who remedies ugliness.

Perhaps that is the difference.  It's not that these attributes don't reside within my family.  It's just that we know what to do with them when they poke their ugly heads....leave it at the feet of Jesus.

My Grandpa left us a beautiful legacy...and now he gets to dine with the Master.

I miss him.