I grew up with my grandparents from age 10 through 17. Though I was in a boarding school, as they were my local guardians, most of my vacations and holidays were spent with them. Grandma and I were very close. Grandpa, I kept a little bit of distance from as he was a no non-sense type of guy, but I knew he had a heart of gold for his grand kids because of the things he used to do for us when we were home with him. Grandma had on occasions mentioned of grandpa's hot temper that could flare up pretty quickly if he was wronged. As a young man, I've heard that he was tough. Though, he was of a small physical stature, he made up for it with his determination and fearlessness. He would never back down from a challenge, man or life's circumstances. People knew him as a no non-sense guy and someone not to be messed with. They respected him.
He came from a family of farmers. As a young man, one day on the way back from the market, he had a divine experience that transformed his life. That experience cemented his mission in life. He became an evangelist travelling places (on foot I may add in his early days) spreading the gospel until his old age. But, then he would spread the gospel from his bed to anyone who visited him. He was also a herbal medicine man who knew the treatment for many tropical diseases. He was well known for his expertise - treating jaundice (yellow fever). I remember people travelling from near and far to our family home for his treatments, prayer and blessing.
He was a praying man. Reading and studying the bible scriptures and prayer was a big part of his life. Every morning and evening there were family prayers. He was up at 4am everyday, no matter what, and I would hear him pray through his bedroom door that was adjacent to mine. Anytime, we (my brother, sister and i) were sick, grandpa would put his hands on our head and pray, and we would get healed. I remember relatives and locals used to come to him for prayers for healing, for favorable weather during important occasions, and also for casting out spirits. Sometimes during the monsoon seasons when I was about to go back to my boarding, it would be raining hard making travelling quite hard and dangerous. Before setting out on my trip, Grandpa would pray and go up to the front door, look up to the sky and ask the LORD, "My LORD please stop the rain as my child is travelling, I need you to make the weather favorable as he travels and reaches school." I know, you may think I am making this up as I am going, but it is the truth that I know. This truth - his relationship with God is what made God real for me as a child. It had always stayed in the back of my mind as I was growing up and traveled the pathways of life taking in all that this world had to offer. This truth is what made me kneel on my wooden cot in my high school dorm and pray to the God of my grandparents and parents, when I was deep in debt, lost without hope.
As I grew in to a young man, I again strayed away from God. Yet, I would read the bible and pray whenever I remembered or there was a need. While my grandfather was alive, I knew that he was always praying for his children and grandchildren. Following his death in 1994, as time went by, there were some very unexpected traumatic events and deaths in our families that broke apart families and caused me to wonder if it would have happened should my grandpa be alive. It seemed with the passing of my grandfather misfortune started visiting our families. These events bothered me much many a nights as I lay in my bed to sleep.
With my grandpa no longer in the picture, the events that took place in our lives started making me think of God again. I thought of my children and wondered who would pray for them as my grandpa did for us, to keep a hedge around them. It caused much concern for me. Though we would have family prayers, it was just a routine. My personal life was not something that would qualify for any privileges in God's view. One night as I lay in bed, it occurred to me that who else but I should pray for my children and family. Following our nightly family prayer as I lay in bed I would lift up my hands towards heaven and worship God as I had seen folks in our church do, just that they would do this standing. I guess, it would be as David said, "I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night" (Psalms 63:6). I would sit by the bed of my children as they slept and put my hands on their head and pray to God for their blessing and well being. As a little child I remember going and kneeling in front of my grandpa and asking that he would lay his hands on my head and bless me. I would keep doing this until grandpa would get tired and say that he had run out of blessings. I loved getting his blessings!
My desire to have a real relationship with God continued to grow. On February 25, 2007 for the first time I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit during a Sunday worship service in our church which was a watershed moment in my christian faith life. That was the beginning of a transformation in my life. Sometimes when you pray for your loved ones, you may not see the results right away, but I will say for sure Jehovah, our God is one who honors his children's prayers and ensures that their generations will not be lost. None of your prayers for your children will ever be lost. It may seem so sometimes, but your prayer life will have left an impression unbeknownst to you on your children and grandchildren. God's favor will have passed on to the next generation...
That was my grandpa's legacy to his grandson. What will yours be to your children and grand children...?
Find us Faithful
No comments:
Post a Comment