Lessons From Pop

As you may have noticed by the previous post's date, I've been absent from this little spot for awhile. My sweet grandfather passed away several weeks ago, and I've been busy with all the little (and large) details that such an event requires. I've been contemplating how I wanted to share this. As always, my desire for this blog is to encourage and challenge others in their faith in Jesus Christ. I've decided to share here the comments I made at my grandfather's funeral - my hope is that God would use them in whatever way He chooses to minister to, convict and/or comfort your heart.

Good morning. For those of you who don’t know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Julie *, and I am Poppy’s oldest grandchild. Poppy, of course, being LeRoy or Pete or Bill or whatever other alias you knew my grandfather by! Besides having all those different names, Pop wore a lot of different hats. He was my protector, my father-figure, my comforter, my provider, my teacher, and my friend. Pop was far more than just my grandfather – or, perhaps, he was all these things to me because he was my grandfather.

I’ve been thinking about some of the dozens and dozens of memories I have of him. And I thanked God that I have such a rich storehouse of memories – of riding on his lap in the Pinto as a little girl, of picking wild raspberries together in the summer, of coming home from a trip and finding the surprise bookcase he had built for me, of summer nights on the porch playing cards together, of the glass bottles of soda we had at the airfield where he flew his remote-controlled planes, of walking down the aisle on his arm, of watching him play with, and delight in, my babies. I’ve often told people that I have the perfect grandfather. Pop was the most patient man I have ever met. In fact, I cannot recall a time in all my life that Poppy ever lost his temper with me or said an unkind or impatient word to me. His love for me was extraordinary, and I thank God for the privilege of being his granddaughter for 40 years.

I mentioned earlier that one of the roles Pop played in my life was that of teacher. I’ve realized over the past few days that God has continued to use Pop to teach me, even after his death. I wanted to share a few lessons that I’ve learned, and continue to learn, from his life and death – perhaps they will encourage your heart as well.

The first thing I wish to share has to do with the last conversation Poppy and I had on the phone. Pop was struggling with his situation, and I encouraged him to remember to look for things in which to be thankful - to try and focus on what he had and could do versus what he didn’t have or couldn’t do. I reminded him that gratitude is a choice that we can make in every situation, no matter how hard. As always, Poppy patiently listened to my advice, and I know that he understood the truth in those words. I have thought on that conversation over this last week and asked myself if I’m taking my own advice as humbly as Pop did.

The second thing I wish to share is something I’ve been thinking on about the life we live and the legacy we leave behind. Poppy was a man who understood that life isn’t about storing up treasures, but that it is to be lived graciously and generously with an open hand and an open heart towards people. When Pop died, he left behind things far more valuable than any of his possessions. He left behind a legacy of how to work hard, how to take care of your family, how to be a gentleman. He taught us by example the virtues of joy and love and patience. Pop’s life causes me to look at my own and question whether I’m being diligent to invest in people or in things, and to prepare a legacy of eternal values instead of temporary treasures to pass on to my family.

The last lesson I’ve been thinking on is one that has greatly comforted my heart. I was struggling with the fact that Pop died at night, all alone in the hospital. As I opened my Bible to find comfort this past week, I happened to come across the account of Jesus’ death. As I read His cry from the cross to His Heavenly Father, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”, a thought occurred to me. I realized that Christ had to die apart from His Father. Because Jesus was the Substitute for our sin and, in fact, became that sin, God, the Holy One Who cannot look upon sin, had to turn His face away from His Son. In His moment of death, Christ was truly alone. And God reminded me that because Christ took our place and was forsaken by His Father, we need never be forsaken by God. Poppy wasn’t alone in that hospital room. And once again, God used my grandfather to teach me Truth.

I’ve often thought that it’s good to go to a funeral every now and then. As much as I hate them, I recognize the fact that funerals remind me of my own mortality. They remind me that one day it will be my turn to die, one day I will lay in the place that Pop does right now. Funerals cause me to ask myself hard questions, and this one is no exception. Am I choosing to cultivate a thankful heart? What kind of life and legacy will I pass on? Do I trust God when He says that I am never alone?

Thankfully, God has used Pop’s life and death to teach and remind me to look harder at my own life and death. And now, I would count it a privilege to hear the ways God has used my grandfather to teach you as well. (This being an invitation to the audience to share their memories of my grandfather.)