Leaving the light on

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Phillipians 1:21
The recent death of the grandmother of one of my daughter's closest friends got me thinking again of the eternal and the legacy we leave behind. As mentioned in a previous post, my grandmother wasn't always seen by me as an example of tenderness. Having a few more years of maturity since her passing and becoming a grandmother myself, my view of her has softened immensely. I have come to recognize much of her terseness was more from exhaustion and more than likely low blood sugar. Understanding myself better has definitely given me eyes of grace in regard to my view of her.


When I think of my grandfather though, my heart is immediately warmed by precious memories of his tenderness towards us. An incident when I was about ten quickly comes to mind. My brother, cousins and I were playing a wild game of hide and seek, girls against boys. It was my cousin Lorraine and my turn hide and we had discovered an ingenious way to escape detection by slpping in and out of an unlocked basement window. All had gone well for several times, until in my haste to get in I didn't manage to get my hand up fast enough to catch the window as my feet hit the piano bench perched below it for easy access in and out.  As the window slammed shut noisely, the glass shattered sending sharp pieces in every direction. Miraculously neither of us got cut, but we knew we were in trouble. We had already been warned not to go in and out of the window.

As we surveyed the damage we heard granddad coming quickly down the stairs and braced ourselves for our due punishment. I will never forget his response.
Instead of harsh words with the reminder of what we shouldn't have been doing, his words were tender and filled with concern. "What happened? You didn't get cut? Good! Be careful. Watch out for those pieces."

Grace and love being poured out when he had every right to be angry. His first thought was our well being and safety, not the cost of replacing the glass. Remorseful for our disobedience and humbled by his loving response, Lorraine and I offered to sell Kool-aid to pay for the damage. He accepted our offer and helped us set up the stand. Now I am certain the money we made didn't make a dent in the actual cost, but the lesson of grace has had a huge impact on my life.
I can only pray I will be as equally gracious with those around me and help leave the light of grace burning brightly.