In memory of my sweet Grandma, Haydee.

“I didn’t understand why my grandma would call me just to tell me that she was praying for me. I would always ask myself why she would that. I wasn’t in a gang, did drugs, or misbehave in any way. So why would she tell me that she was praying for me? Did I need it?”- My brother

These are the words my brother shared at my Grandma’s memorial service this last weekend. For some reason they’ve been replaying in my mind because I know so many of us struggle with this. We wonder what the point of this “God” thing is. There are people that we all easily point out and say THEY NEED JESUS and then we have those that have a “good” or “well-balanced” life and it appears that everything is okay.

So just to explain a little, my Grandma used to pray for all her kids and grandkids. At this time, most of my family did not attend church regularly and we all did our own thing. She used to call us one by one and let us know that she was praying for us. This honestly used to almost “offend us” because we weren’t doing anything “wrong”.

This happened after she had an encounter with Jesus and gave her life to Him. Why you ask? She wanted us all to KNOW Jesus and have a relationship with Him. It’s not because she thought we were all terrible people. You see, people’s first instinct is to ask: why are they “worried” about me. They often bring up their successes and wins. It sounds something like this “I don’t go to church but I do have a good family, we have a happy life, great health, successful, and we all have dinner together at the table”.  And to be honest, sometimes their lives look a bit better than us.

But you see, the reason why our loved ones pray for us is not always because they think we are lost, but rather because they have come to know Jesus in such an intimate way that they want us to know Him too! It’s not just about having a life that is in order, it’s about living a life that is under the Lordship of Jesus. This means, that we acknowledge Him in all our decisions- small and big. It means that we live daily listening closely for His direction. It’s realizing that we are nothing without Him and that everything we have is because of Him. When we choose to live a life that doesn’t acknowledge Him, we haven’t truly accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  

It’s so important to remember Jesus in the good and bad times. Sometimes when things are good, we forget to go back and thank Him. Sometimes when things are bad, we forgot to go to Him first. Let’s keep Him as the cornerstone of our lives.

What is keeping you from fully surrendering your life to Jesus? Could it be that we sometimes think we don’t need Him. Or maybe you pray or go to church only when you are in trouble. Hear me out, we should always pray about EVERYTHING- good and bad times, but Jesus really wants us to walk with Him daily.  

Maybe you’ve never accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life. Well, today can be that day. Or maybe you’ve been doing your own thing for a while and forgot He was up there. Today you can acknowledge and accept Him in your life today. Our tomorrow can be so much different when we decide to walk with Jesus today.

If you are currently believing for someone to come to Christ, I want to encourage you to keep believing, keep praying, and keep showing them Jesus. One day they will know WHY you prayed for them. I really do believe that God sometimes allows to be guardian angels for others. We can really make a difference when we allow ourselves ourselves to share Jesus to others.

I am grateful for a grandma that set a great foundation for us. She taught us to pray and to depend on God for EVERYTHING in our life- small and big. Today you can do the same for yourself and for your family and friends.

Acts 2:21 (NIV)

21 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.

In memory of my sweet Grandma, Haydee.