Standing on the Shoulders

In church at Roswell United Methodist on Sunday, our pastor led a sermon about the influences of others on our faith. He was confirming some young teens into the church as part of the Methodist tradition called confirmation and he had focused a portion of his sermon on how we can all influence the next generation. But, at this moment, he turned to the church members and asked people to call out the names of people who had influenced our own faith journey. I called out, "My Grandmother". She is the woman in my life to whom I owe my faith. She took me to church when I visited her, sat in those pews with me and sang the church hymns with me. She taught me the power of community that comes through other church members, especially in tough seasons. My aunts, her daughters, also shared much with me as well. As I sat in the pew that day, I thought of her Bible that was given to me upon her passing. I thought about the worn cover, the many years I saw it flipped open to Scripture on her table on the porch, and it was then that I remembered the cover of her Bible was pink. How is it that so many years have passed but that old Bible with the worn pink cover could be a reminder of her faith carrying my struggle even today? As Pastor Derek closed, he asked us to build the kind of shoulders that can carry others in their times of struggle. And I think that's what she was doing all those times she told me she was praying for me. But mostly how she LIVED these words out in her life. I sat in my pew and quietly asked her to go and nudge Jesus for me and to talk to Him about my healing and I felt the peace knowing that she already had.

I hope that one day, people will look back on my life and whisper similar words about me. I want to be someone who loves fiercely and who builds others up, who makes a difference in people's lives. I am grateful for people like my Sunday School class of almost 30 years who prayed for me on Sunday. What a blessing to have these warriors in the faith walk beside me in this journey. We never know what kind of difference we can make in people's lives but I hope we can all strive to be someone who is remembered for the good and not the bitterness we brought into the world.

As I reflect on this Sunday, please remember me in your prayers on Monday at 2:00. I have my second MRI on my head to check out some pressure I have had in my ear. Please pray that this is not cancer. 🙏