Recently we celebrated Granny’s 90th birthday! She is such a special lady on many counts and, though sickly for much of her life, she has outlived all our other grandparents. That she has reached an age many others don’t is not the main reason we write about her here. Though we honour her accomplishment, we thank God for her on a much more important note…
Born in Ireland, Granny has lived what she would insist is a ‘normal’ life. Soon after marriage she and Grandpa moved to Africa to find work during the recession and stayed there until moving to Australia in their 60’s. Outside of having lived in three continents, her life has on the most part been quite simple.
Granny and Grandpa raised three children and Granny has recently just become a great, great grandmother. She never learned to drive, and while very skilled in art, sewing, knitting and with a mind highly gifted in mathematics (according to her high school teacher) – she never became the scientist to develop the atom bomb as she apparently could have…
No big heroic claim to fame or fortune.
No super riches to pass on or noble peace prizes.
Not even a ‘bucket list’ to check as all done – that we know of anyways ;-)…
But when Granny was in her early 30’s she had been seeking God in a real way and came to a simple and significant decision to become a Christian – to receive the forgiveness Jesus purchased on the cross by faith, to turn from living her own way, and to put her faith in Him alone for eternal life and to follow Christ for the rest of her life.
She was the first one in our family to do so (at least since the generation before her), and she has kept to her decision ever since. As a result, our Grandpa also came to know and follow Jesus, shortly before their children, and in turn, many of the grandchildren also did – us included…
As we celebrated her 90th year we met some of those who had been directly impacted by her life in similar and life-changing ways. We reflect on how profoundly privileged we are to have also met the Living God, experiencing life to the full as we grew up in a Bible-believing family – because of her simple but courageous steps of faith way back then – and still today.
So as humble as she is, she is a real hero in our eyes.
We truly and often thank God for her life and faith before us – we see this as a way better legacy than earthly riches or awards.
Her unwavering faithfulness to God through these 60 years or so, with all the many struggles and battles in life, sets an incredible example and inspiration before us. It is also a testimony – and she would be the first to say so – to the amazing faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ to one who will simply believe in Him, and choose to faithfully continue believing in Him no matter what.
Her son (our dad) has been a Pastor since before we were born, and through his life, and others in the family, many hundreds of people have discovered the reality of Jesus Christ and His power to give us life to the full. It is also, in fact, a big part of why Retro Cristo exists.
Granny’s life may not seem so outstanding to the superficial passerby, but to those more closely observant, her humble small beginnings in faith are clearly as profound as the first trickle of water that becomes a raging river. And it all happened through simple, faithful step by step obedience.
Retro Cristo honours and thanks God for our humble Granny’s life and faith.
Not so small after all.