It was 6:42am. I was sound asleep. Just a few hours before,
Wendy, the girls, and I had prayed for my grandfather. This is something we
have been doing for quite some time, but last night seemed particularly sweet.
When I saw the number pop up on my screen, I knew...
Me: "Hello?"
Brenda: "Daddy passed..."
I had been anticipating the call and anticipating those
words for quite some time, nevertheless the sting was real.
I have spent the day reflecting on the life of my
grandfather, especially the last 5 or 6 years.
As a child, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. I
stayed with them virtually every weekend. Saturday mornings consisted of either
me going to yard sales with my grandma or going to work with my grandpa making
deliveries for various companies. He and I spent numerous hours together
discussing topics that ranged from sports (he like I loved the Atlanta Braves)
to women, and everything in-between.
In 2008, something changed in my life. I came to the
unexpected realization that I was a sinner destined for hell, and by God's
grace, I moved from death to life. Jesus saved me!
A burden began to build in my heart for the lost,
specifically for my grandfather in the spring of 2009. I knew what Christ had
done for me, but I didn't know how to share it. I called a dear brother in
Christ, a man whom I consider one of my closest friends and dearest mentors,
and asked him, "How do you share the gospel with people?" He taught
me Romans road, and I told him that I was hoping to share the gospel with my
grandfather the next day.
The next day, I went to see him. I sat in his room and we
began to discuss various topics. And then, he changed the TV to another station
and there was a funeral on (someone famous had died, but I can't remember who
it was). I thought, "Well God you certainly didn't want me to miss this
opportunity." So, I asked him what he thought happened after people died.
He didn't accept Christ that day, but I know God had stirred his heart.
Fast forward to Thanksgiving Day of 2013. My dad had told me
that someone at the nursing home my grandfather was staying in had led him to
Christ. I wanted to be sure because my grandmother had recently asked me to
preach his memorial service. We stopped at the nursing home, and I went in to
speak with him. He was so weak he could barely talk. I asked him about his
salvation, but he was too weak to tell me about it, so I led him to pray with
me. I quoted Romans 10:9-10 for him and prayed with him ending our prayer with
the words, Jesus is Lord. When the prayer was complete he repeated those words
several times... "Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord, Jesus is
Lord...." and faded off to sleep.
I left his room and spoke to his neighbor, a godly man who
had served the Lord faithfully as a deacon for over 50 years. He told me that
he heard one of the CNA's lead my grandfather to Christ and that he was certain
he was a saved man. I thanked him for sharing with me and was excited he had
shared. And then he told me the CNA was working that day...
I walked out into the common area and asked 3 ladies if they
could point me to Olivia Bright. One of them piped up and said, "That's
me." I began to tell her who I was and she said... "You're the
preacher!" I said "Yes Ma'am."
Next, she proceeded to tell me of my grandfather’s journey
to Christ during his stay in the nursing home. When she initially confronted
him, he was resigned to the fact that he was going to spend eternity in hell.
He believed in God, he believed in Jesus, but he believed he was too bad to
receive this gift. Nevertheless, she persisted in sharing her faith with him.
Although she couldn't tell me the day or the hour, she recounted the discussion
she had with my grandfather the day he accepted Christ. My great grandmother
had just passed and he knew his time was short. He knew he could not get to
heaven based on merit. He finally recognized that it was okay for him to be
unworthy of heaven... we all are.
Olivia Bright is a woman I will always be indebted to. I
think of her often. She does one of the dirtiest jobs in the world for very
little pay, but she knows her reward is not to be found here on earth. Jesus is
her reward and she has been commissioned to live her life for His glory. That
is exactly what she does.
I will be preaching my grandfather's memorial service in
about a week. His story reminds me of the parable of the Laborers in the
Vineyard Jesus tells in Matthew 20. Although he didn't report to work at the
beginning of the shift, my grandfather has received his reward. He is alive. He
is in the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
