A Legacy
/
My Granddaddy served in the US Army after graduating from high school. It was one of those hot summer days at their camp where all you could do was hope the watermelon truck would come by. Suddenly he heard a voice as clear as day saying, "When are you going to mean business for Me?"
I was mesmerized as we sat at the table listening to my Granddaddy share. I had never heard this story before. I remember lots of tales from my Dad about growing up in Indonesia as a missionary kid. Whenever our family visited my grandparents in DC, we liked to ask them to pray in Indonesian or tell us some exciting stories about life there. However, I don't remember ever hearing how they got to be missionaries there in the first place. Now I was finding out.
My grandfather came to know Jesus as a little boy in Sunday School, but there wasn't much to show for it. Even in the Army, no one really knew he was a Christian. He said he was practicing for his job with "the government" later on by keeping it a secret. (If you knew my Granddaddy, you'd know that was a funny comment!) Then came that hot summer day and everything changed. It was time to mean business for Christ. He pulled out the Bible that was at the bottom of suitcase and began to truly know Jesus.
After a few years my Grandaddy married a cute Wheaton college girl named Louise. They knew the Lord was calling them overseas, so off they went with a little one in tow. Things were different then. People didn't just hop on a plane to spend a few weeks in a country, see people come to know the Lord and then go home. They went and stayed, faithful to plant the seeds. Now we see the fruit of their labor. I can only imagine the implications of their obedience to God's call. How many lives? How many churches have been born because of their work? I'm sure it is a great number.
Though I may not be able to see the fruit of their faithfulness overseas, I can see plenty here - my family. They have a legacy of godliness that has been passed down through the generations. I don't know hearts like God does, but it seems very evident that each of their 4 children and all of their grandchildren have come to know Jesus. And it's real. It's not a faith we keep a secret. Every time I visit I hear about what God is doing in the lives of my family members. I have no doubt that it is due to my Granny and Grandaddy. I know they have prayed for us since before we were born, and prayed for godly spouses for each of us as well.
Before Jonathan and I left my grandparent's house in DC they prayed for us. In that moment I was awash with so much gratefulness. I am so thankful for the heritage I have because of them, and I want to continue that legacy for my children's children. I want to come to the end of my life, should Jesus not return sooner, and know that I have lived a life for the Lord as they have. I want to love Jesus like they love Jesus.
I want to mean business for Jesus Christ from now until the day I breathe my last.
