The newspaper clippings led me through a beautiful journey down memory lane. I called other family members to begin to see what new findings we could discover. I began to pull out my grandmother’s Bibles again. The smell of worn, yellowed paper filled the room like that of an archeological library.
I pulled out an old, tattered Bible with a faded, black, leather cover. It was not just labeled Bible. It was labeled, Holy Bible. There was a new level of reverence as I stared into the gold embossed, words “Holy Bible.” It was a red-letter edition, King James Version with an original copyright of 1901 by John A Dickson Publishing Co. It even contains a pronunciation table at the front depicting how to pronounce proper Scriptural names!
I stumbled on something. Not only did I have the precious Word of God that had been passed down for generations, but sandwiched between the pages of scripture was an envelope. It was a letter addressed, “To my Family.” What did I just find? It was like a hidden treasure.
My heart began to beat a bit faster as I carefully opened the little envelope. It was as if it were an anxiously anticipated love letter I was holding. What could be inside? The three-page letter was dated, Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8, 1977. Great Grandmother Sproles was writing a letter to her family at the young age of 96 year’s old. Now, three generations and nearly 50 years later, her great granddaughter was holding her precious letter in her hands.
Through this letter, I discovered she was a believer in Jesus Christ! I didn’t realize that! The letter shared of her longing to be with Jesus and her desire for her family to call upon the Lord. It was somewhat hard to read, and the grammar was a bit different than we use these days. Her shaky, 96-year-old hands wrote, “I do wish it all from my heart today that you would get ready and be ready for that one day when He calls and takes your breath away. There is no time to wait. Do not wait until it’s too late to call on the Lord to have mercy.”
I always knew I was living in answered prayers from my grandmother, but I didn’t realize the generational Christian legacy in our family. My great-grandma must have prayed prayers over her family—for generations.
The letter went on to say, “I do love my children and always will. When they were little, they were trampling on my toes, now they are older and trampling on my heart. I want them to live for God so we never will part. That sounds so good.”
My hands had a slight tremble holding this heartfelt letter, probably nearly as much as hers had writing the letter at her age, which was evident in the wiggly penmanship. The words still spoke volumes. The ink had not faded. There was a love, tenderness, compassion, longing, and urgency in her tone.
This note was a precious, love letter and delicately tucked inside the Word of God, which is a love letter to us all. My great-grandmother desired for us to be in right standing with God.
As I read more, I wondered how various family members were trampling on her heart. That was my family. Was it that they were far from God? Clearly her heart was crushed. I teared up.
I could hear a mother’s heart cry and endless love echoing line by line. Then… I was reminded further of the Father’s endless love—forever inked throughout Scripture as a declaration from the empty grave!
Actions speak louder than words. What are mine saying? As a child of God, am I trampling on hearts? Am I doing anything that is breaking His heart? Am I honoring loved ones and my Father in Heaven? How about you?
I began searching the scriptures for the letters written in red—Jesus’ words directly, and came to Mark 1. The first words of Jesus recorded within this book, are in Mark 1:15 which says, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the Good News” (ESV)!
It’s time. As Jesus said, The Kingdom of God is near. We all should be in a posture of repentance and believing the Good News. It’s what the Father desires for us and what every godly mother, father, and grandparent wants for their loved ones for generations. What does that mean for you today? What prayers can you pray now for you to be right with the Lord? What can you pray over your family for generations to come? Take time to write an encouraging note and prayer for your family, and tuck it in your Bible! What a gift that will one day be!
How can you make Monumental Moments and live to multiply His movement today?
