Friday, February 20, 2015

A Personal Encounter with Grief, Joy, and Gratitude

Read to my grandma this morning from John Piper's booklet, "For Your Joy". I'm not sure how much she understood through the pain and mental decline that's really escalated these past few days. I left the room wondering whether she even realized what I was trying to do for her.


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Two days ago was when I found out she was in really bad shape. No one informed me. It was purely by God's providence that I decided to drop by the house that day. In fact, I was already leaving when my parents arrived and told me a priest was coming later to perform the Last Rites.

So I shared the gospel to my grandma again. It was the hardest gospel sharing I've ever had to do. It was overwhelming just thinking that my grandma, who was such a significant part of my childhood, could be in heaven or hell this very night.

"Just trust only in Jesus to forgive your sins." That was the simplest way I knew to share the gospel. Only in Jesus. He's the Savior. He died to pay the penalty for our sins. Trust in Jesus only.

My grandma listened, but she kept thinking I was trying to get her to "join my church." "No, grandma, I'm not asking you to join my church. I just want you to trust Jesus to forgive your sins." It must have been four or five times that we went round and round like that, and I was praying, "God help her to understand!"

"Just believe in Jesus only, grandma. You can go to heaven not because of the Church, or because of your prayers, but only if you trust in Jesus. Do you understand," I asked, half-expecting her to misunderstand me again.

"Yes. I understand. Just believe in Jesus."

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Looking back on that moment, I am so grateful to God. Seeing the way she is now, I realize that was might have been the last night she was strong enough and lucid enough to converse with.

I don't know whether she has saving faith, or not. But it's profoundly humbling that God allowed me to point her to the one Person who could save her from her sins and carry her into eternal glory. Praise to the Lord!

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