Sweet Granny B

My sweet Granny Burton passed away from cancer in January. My Granny was someone who loved Jesus and loved others. She was known for being an encourager, someone who saw the best in others and made sure they realized how special they were. I shared at her funeral that growing up, I was convinced that I was Granny’s favorite, but in reality, Granny made everyone feel like they were her favorite.

Mom and I would frequently go visit Granny as she was getting ready to meet Jesus, and in one of our trips, I asked her how Granny became a Christian. I found out that Granny wasn’t raised in the church, and her parents didn’t go to church at all until she was older. Granny came to know Jesus because when she was a little girl, a neighbor invited her to go to church with them.

As someone who work with kids, this hit me hard. I sat and thought about my mom, aunts and uncles, my siblings, my cousins and my second cousins and my nephews and about the legacy of faith that we had inherited which includes loving others and loving Jesus. We probably wouldn’t have that faith if a neighbor didn't take Granny to church because she saw the significance in offering Jesus to her.

I thank God for that neighbor. I am so grateful that they took little Emogene to church, and that she met Jesus there. I am left challenged and wondering, how can I be that neighbor? How can I encourage those around me to be that neighbor?

I have the chance to be that neighbor to many kids and teens. I have the chance to show them that Jesus is the way, that He will forgive their sins, and that following Jesus will make their life better. We can bring God’s Kingdom to earth in how we love and serve those around us. I think about how God used a neighbor 75+ years ago to lead my grandma to the Lord, and as a result 4 generations of our family know Jesus as Lord. What might He do with the kids and teens I get the chance to hang out with? How might He use the relationships that the Jesus followers of our neighborhood have, to change the eternity of generations to come. Wow, that’s a pretty humbling thought.