April 30th
Read: Romans 1:16-17; Psalm 19:7-14; 119:59; Luke 10:38-42
GRAN’S LEGACY
For many years she dusted and cleaned,
And gardened and curried her yard.
She sewed, and she curled and primped and preened,
And in it all worked very hard.
Her kitchen was spotless; her floors always shone;
Her bookshelves were tidy and neat.
Her houseplants were shapely, not once overgrown,
And her cat always lay at her feet.
But, oh, as she labored to keep such control
Over house and surroundings and land,
She wondered why there was no joy in her soul,
Why life had not gone as she planned.
One day in the attic she found the old trunk
Her grandma had left when she died.
She decided to sort and to clean out the junk
Which surely must be there inside.
Sure enough! There were keepsakes mementos, and such,
And even a dried-up old rose!
There were dresses, of course, but they were not much
Unless some poor soul needed clothes.
She folded and piled and sorted awhile,
Then saw in the cornermost nook
Something which brought to her face a faint smile …
‘Twas a Bible, Gran’s favorite book!
In reverence she held it up close to her breast,
And memories started to flow.
Surely this must not be put back in the chest.
She’d keep it out where it would show.
She remembered that Gran had read it each day
And that time spent with Gran was so rare,
And that when she was there, she was ne’er pushed away,
Rather, gathered to Gran’s heart with prayer!
So, out came Gran’s Bible to lie in plain view
On a table right next to her bed.
Of course, it was dusted and kept ‘good as new’,
But ’twas never once opened and read.
That Bible became a connection for her
To the past and some happier days,
But even sweet memories oft seemed to blur
When she wanted them really to blaze.
One night as she lay there alone in her bed,
Her blanket all settled and neat,
She cried out, “A book is supposed to be read!”
And her cat leaped away from her feet.
That Book fell right open to Psalm Twenty-three,
And she could almost hear her Gran’s voice,
“The LORD is my shepherd … He loves us, you see,
And He wants you to make Him your choice.”
The things settled then, as she fell to her knees
And sobbed out her awful despair,
Are better off left to our dear Lord, who sees
Our innermost sin, fear, and care.
‘Tis enough to report that you might find some dust
Should you visit that lady right now.
Her cat’s in her lap, and there may be some rust
On the blade which she once used to plow,
But the Bible which lay in that trunk at one time
Is open more often than not,
And the smile on her face grows each day more sublime
As she grows through ‘lukewarm’ into ‘hot’.
Her dusting and cleaning (no longer a craze)
Are often deferred for a while
As she reads from God’s Word of His wondrous ways
And adds to the glow of her smile.
The neighborhood children come play on her grass
Or leave dirty tracks on her floor,
Or press runny noses against her clean glass!
But she’s not alone anymore.
She has her old cat, who still runs to hide
As the children seek her company.
She bids them all come to sit by her side
Or the youngest to sit on her knee.
Now she reads to them from the Twenty-third Psalm
And tells them about Jesus’ love.
Her house is a center of love, oh so calm
That the angels oft listen above
As they wait for her coming, to usher her in
Where her Lord and her Gran wait to greet;
And her smile will be widened into a big grin
As she lays her crowns down at His feet.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me to sort out my time priorities so that I can spend more time with You and for You.
