The Religious Nerd

This is a letter that I sent to my family in memory of our grandparents passing one year ago this month.  I hope that it will encourage you even if you did not know them personally.

Fall has arrived and winter is coming up at an alarming rate.  The leaves have transformed into beautiful autumn colors and are quickly falling to the ground. The air is crisp and the mountains are growing in blankets of fresh powdery snow. Starbucks has transitioned into their winter themed coffee cups and life in general seems to be busier than any other season of the year. This time of the year is filled with family, friends, activities, treats, and everlasting memories.

There are parties, family get-togethers, church events, football games, trips to Leavenworth, and so many other ways that people enjoy their fall and winter season in the presence of loving company.

For my family, the fall and winter seasons mark a time of remembrance, a time that stirs up the affections of all of our hearts from the youngest generations to the oldest.  It was the night of Sunday November 7th 2010 that my wife’s grandparents went to be with our God in heaven.  Here we are 1 year later, remembering who they were, and what they stood for.  During the last year, babies were born, people were married, houses were purchased, people graduated both high school and college, careers were chosen, and most importantly people have committed their lives to knowing, serving, and worshiping Jesus Christ. Through these new found commitments, I have seen growth in the lives of many of the grandchildren of our family.  From my heart, a shepherd’s heart, nothing pleases me more.

I would like to honor Grandma and Grandpa by providing you with a few comments about who they were, and by challenging you (and myself) to strive to live lives that would honor them if they were with us today.

1)      They loved God.  They both made commitments to attend church weekly, and were widely respected by the local pastors and leaders of Slavic churches.  Holiness was a priority in their lives, and pursuing God was of utmost importance.  They were committed to prayer, and people of tremendous faith.  Many of the older generation of our family often sought their advice in complex situations.  Certainly this is an example for all of us to strive to live out in our lives today!

2)      They loved their neighbor as themselves.  2 months after they passed away I preached at a youth group service for a local Russian church, the pastor told me that although he is not a blood relative, grandma and grandpa always made him feel like a son.  They welcomed him into their home, they fed him, they respected him, they prayed for him, they encouraged him, they honored him, and they treated him as though he were their only son.  They didn’t owe this man anything but did these things out of the goodness of their hearts.  Imagine if you died today what it would be like to have someone come forward and say this about you.  What an honor that would be indeed.

3)      They would want unity in the family. In the last year some relationships have died out and others have prospered.  People who used to be close no longer speak.  Rumors have been spread, accusations have been made, and tears have fallen down cheeks.  Grandma and Grandpa would want all of their family to forgive and love each another and come together as a loving family again.  People will always be different, have different opinions, and there will always be conflict with those you are around the most, however family is family and you can’t change that.  It is better to humble oneself and ask for forgiveness and start the healing process than to bask in ones pride disobeying the will of God, and dishonoring the memory of grandma and grandpa.  Whoever this person may be to you, will you please forgive them, love them, and embrace them?

4)      The men must step up.  When Grandma and Grandpa died, the patriarch fell apart.  There is no senior advisor within the family that all can go to for advice and encouragement.  Instead, each family must now rely on their husbands, mothers, and fathers to lead them, love them, encourage them, pray for them, and advise them.  I point out the men in particular because it is God’s will that men be the lovers of their family.  What I mean by that is that it is the God given duty of the father and husband to set his wife and children up with the resources, and ability to live their lives in a way that glorifies God in everything they do.  If the men do not step up, women and children will not follow as there is no leader to follow.  To you men, will you consider reading your bible once a year? Will you consider praying for/with your family every day? Will you consider loving your wife and not bossing her around?  Young men, will you consider setting your hearts on God and family instead of your own pursuit for worldly pleasures?

5)      What do you remember most about Grandma and Grandpa?  Spend some time in prayer, and in remembrance of their lives. If nothing comes to mind, here are a couple questions for you to consider:  Are you at where you want to be in your walk with God? If Grandma and Grandpa were around today would they be proud of what you have accomplished this past year?

 As Thanksgiving and Christmas time near, I encourage you all to keep Grandma and Grandpa in your memories.  I encourage you all to pursue a deeper and more passionate relationship with Jesus.  I encourage you to seek unity in family by forgiving those who have sinned against you and asking for forgiveness too.  I encourage you to love your neighbors as yourself by serving in your church and helping those less fortunate than you.  I encourage the men to step up and love your family so that they will want to follow you wherever God takes you.