A Tribute to Grandma

On October 22nd, at 10:45 pm, our dear grandma passed away.
After she fell and hit her head early that morning, there was nothing that doctors could do to stop the internal bleeding in her brain.
It all happened so suddenly that our family was not prepared. We were shocked and devastated.
After living right next door to my grandparents for all my life, I could not imagine living life without her always being there.
Many tears were shed as we watched her being taken to the hospital in a helicopter and then again when we heard that she had died. But a few thoughts came to mind about comfort that I wanted to share with you.

I am reminded through this hard time of 2 Corinthians 1:5, “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.”

According to the abundance of afflictions and sufferings meted to us in our life, Christ's all-sufficient, never-ending consolation and comfort is always a measure more. His love and mercy will always carry us through.

Also, John 14:18 says: “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.” Of course this verse is speaking about the Holy Spirit coming and being our Comforter, but I think of this verse as also applying to situations that we have trouble finding God's hand in. God will not leave us comfortless- He will comfort us with His heavenly comfort.

As 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Another verse in 2 Corinthians says: “And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation and salvation.”

If we are partakers of Christ's sufferings, we will surely also be partakers of the comfort and salvation that Christ has made available to us.

We know that if God allows us to go through any trials or tribulations of any sort, He will comfort us and give us grace to carry those burdens and bring us through them a different sort of person.

Perhaps God allows us to go through those trials so that we may comfort others who are going through the same thing.

Psalm 93:14 promises us “The Lord will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance.” God will not forsake us in our time of need.

Psalm 23:4 talks of the valley of the shadow of death and that “thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”

Even in the darkest of times and the most fearful of moments, God will comfort our hearts and calm us with His peace.

“Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.” This verse is found in 2 Corinthians 7:4.

This word, comfort, in the Greek, means “consolation, comfort, solace; that which affords comfort or refreshment”.

What I am constantly reminded of in this hard time is that God is always there for us, always comforting us and giving us grace to handle every burden He asks us to carry.

What I encourage you to think about, sisters, is how fragile life really is. Death can come when we least expect it and at a time when we are not prepared for it.

I am challenged to think through everything I say and do and always leave a conversation having, by God's grace, encouraged my sibling or friend in some way. You never know if you will ever see that person again and if you had left the conversation in anger or having said harsh and thoughtless words, and then you received word that that friend or sibling had died, you would live with that memory forever. 

I hope and pray that God will give me grace to encourage others always in all conversations and remember that life is so short.

We believe that our grandma put her faith and trust in God before she died. That is also a great comfort to us- knowing that she is now with Jesus Christ.

Grandma was always caring, loving and kind. She always looked out for Grandpa and took care of him.

I remember that every time I left her house, I would wave to her through the window. It was our tradition. I'll miss those things about her.

What I need to keep in mind most, though, is how God wants to hear from us when we're struggling.

We need to cry out to Him in hard times and trust in Him for healing and help.

If you think of us, we would certainly appreciate your prayers for our family, especially Mom and Emily who were very close to her. 

Grandpa loved my grandma very much, so if you would pray for him as well- especially that he would come to the Lord and trust in Him for salvation through this, we would be grateful.

Thank you for your prayers and support as we go through this time with God's help.

Blessings,

~Hannah