Rise up

I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandmother lately. We called her Maw Maw, and the warm memories I have of her have made me smile and laugh a lot recently. She passed away when I was 13. She was a Christian woman who would give you the shirt off her back and set you straight if you needed it. Her house always smelled like fried chicken on Sundays after church, to feed five or fifteen people that may or may not walk through the door, but if they did, she had a plate for them. She had that Appalachian husky voice that was unmistakable, and I adored her. I didn’t have any way to know that now in my 40’s, how much I would still think about her. I’ve wondered at times what she would think about my life’s journey or ask her advice for things I’m facing. {Seriously the best advice comes from the mature folks generation} or the thing most on my heart lately, my walk with the Lord. 

Several years after she passed away, I was told by a relative that my Maw Maw commented when I was a little girl. She didn’t know what it was, but there was something special about me. {Insert eye rolland my nasty attitude}. In this chapter of life I wasn’t walking with the Lord yet. I was a struggling single mother, stressed, exhausted and not living the life that I should. My thought was always: “Boy, she got that wrong!” There certainly didn’t feel anything special about anything I was doing. Deep down I knew at that time in my life, she would have been disappointed in my life’s choices, and so that is something I buried in my heart for years.

I was studying my Bible the other day and this memory came to mind. I’ve thought on it since that time and believing the Lord laid this on my heart for a reason, here is what I believe my Maw Maw felt in her heart at that time. I believe she felt the prompting that our generation would need to shut the name of Jesus louder than ever before. That the time was coming very soon that the spirit of darkness would take over the world in a way that hadn’t been seen yet, and that our generation of Christ followers would have to dig deeper, reach farther, love harder, shout louder the name of the Lord to prepare for His second coming. It’s easy to see based on scripture that we are closer than ever before. {2 Timothy 3:1.} The hate, divination, sinful acts and evil of all kinds are rampant in a way the world has never seen before. While as Christians we expectantly wait for Jesus’ return, we must share the gospel and the love of Christ with as many people as we can so they can go home with us.

Reflecting on these sweet memories lately, my spirit feels a rising. A rising for believers. The Christ centered relationships we need in our life to lock in together to love, pray and battle the enemy together. I encourage you to reflect on how can you be a stronger ambassador for the Kingdom? What is God speaking to your heart today?

“We are therefore Christs’ ambassadors, as though God was making his appeal through us, we implore you on Christs’ behalf, be reconciled to God”

2 Corinthians 5:20 

Much love in Christ,

Crystal