My wonderful grandad passed away on Friday, January 27, 2012. He was 98 years old and had lived a long, full life. He was loved and will be missed by many. I'm writing this rather fresh from returning back to "normal" life after attending his funeral yesterday. After my grandma passed on September 12, 2011, it became crystal clear to me that her husband of 71 years would not live long after her. No. He wasn't sick, nor had he been at that point. A year ago he had been in great health for a man of 97 and didn't take a single pill, not even an aspirin. He walked daily and for distances that would have been hard for others younger than he. But, after the love of his life had a stroke, became bedridden, and then passed from this life, the light went out of his eyes. He had clearly decided that he also no longer needed or wanted to be on this earth. His purpose here had been fulfilled, and his health and mind quickly deteriorated.
As I listened to the men chosen to eulogize my grandad speak yesterday, something particularly important (at least to me) came to mind that I just can't shake. Hence, I need to write about it. They spoke about him as the preacher and man of God that he was and challenged everyone listening to examine their own hearts and lives. The messages were accurate, well-spoken, and moved most everyone to tears. My grandad WAS a man of God. He was never embarrassed of the Gospel of Christ and was only too happy to share the reason for his hope with any willing (or unwilling) ear. He loved his wife, he loved his family, and he certainly loved God. He had been a tireless warrior for the Gospel for almost 60 years.
I say all this because I mean no disrespect to my grandad or to anyone who knew and loved him or to the men who said such poignant and true things about him with the next few sentences. I'm just not sure that they knew what he was like BEFORE he became all of those things they spoke about. There was a time when my grandad did not live a Christian life. He drank to drunkenness and chased women as a younger man, a fact my grandmother and father have both verified in the past. I remember my grandma talking about how early in their marriage she prayed to have a Christian marriage and home and that my grandad would change his ways. I also remember my dad's story about how he remembered my grandpa throwing all his beer bottles against a hill in southern Indiana and his promise to never drink again. He didn't become a Christian until he was about 40, but when he made his decision for Christ, it changed his life in more ways than I think my grandad, grandma, or their young sons could ever have conceived at the time. He left more lucrative employment to study the Bible and become a preacher of God's word. The man who had fancy suits, nice watches, and several polished pairs of shoes gave it all up for service to the Lord. Their lives were not the same again.
So, while all that was said about Grandad was true, they sort of missed a big point: the power of the Gospel of Christ is TRANSFORMATIVE! It changed my grandad, it has changed me, and it can change anyone willing to let Him into their hearts!
The run-about dandy became a Christian and gave it all up for the riches of heaven. At the time of his death, my grandad was more likely to be wearing a belt held together with staples in the back and slippers patched with duct tape than he was a new suit. Christ changed his heart and changed his life, the future of our family, and the lives of the countless others he came into contact with for the next 60 years. Grandad gave up the quest for material things and worldly living long ago in exchange for a quest for heaven. His quest is now complete.
