While I was spending time worshiping the Lord as we approached Texas I was thinking about my childhood. I’ve oftentimes shared with people about how I remember praying and wanting to go to church even when I was a little child. This always amazes me to think of how the Lord was drawing me to Himself even when I was little. Well, Friday night I realized that that memory of praying as a child was always in my mom’s king size bed in the house that Nana and Pop lived in before they moved to Reno. That means that it was after they moved to Reno that I was praying and wanting to go to church.
This led me to the realization that it was those summers in Reno that the Lord used to introduce Himself to me. I would go to Vacation Bible School and eventually to church with Nana and Pop. I then remembered how I used to sit in Nana and Pop’s den at the record player listening to “Go Tell it on the Mountain” and crying because I wanted others to know about Jesus. This was so amazing for me to realize and it gave me great comfort and made me EVEN more grateful for my Nana and Pop.
At the funeral one of the songs was called “Day Star”. Part of the lyrics were, Day Star shine down on me, help me be a beacon in the night.” or something to that effect. As I listened to that I just rejoiced as I thought about how Nana had been exactly that in my childhood. She was the beacon in the night of my childhood. Every summer I would spend almost 3 months with her and Pop. My growing up years were pretty hard and these summers were an escape for me to just be a kid and have normal experiences.
Another thing I realized was that if Nana and Pop hadn’t moved to Reno they probably wouldn’t hvae been much help for me because of our family’s tendency to “not get into other people’s business”. But, the fact that they were away where I could go it was a refuge and safe place.
Thank you, Lord, for showing this to me and giving me peace and gratefulness in the midst of such a devastating time. I love you, Nana, more than I could ever express to you in words.