On this day last year, May 19 2011, my grandfather lost his battle with cancer and was taken home to be with the Lord. The months leading up to this were some of the best and worst times in my life. It was near the time I had decided to change my major from Engineering to Biblical Studies that I learned the news that my grandpa was fighting for his life with pancreatic cancer.
If you never knew my Grandpa Green let me fill you in. He loved. No matter who you were or are my Grandpa genuinely cared for and loved you. That love also came out in the form of correction, he was not willing to take a blind eye to anyone's faults but would in love give correction.
He was a man of prayer, he and my grandma would pray for each person in my entire extended family before going to bed. I can remember one time my family was staying at my grandparents house for a visit I was watching TV and my grandparents had gone to bed about an hour before and when I went to the bathroom I could still hear them praying. I am certain that these faithful prayers contributed to each and everyone of my family and extended family's lives. My brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousin are all believers and I can't help but think those times in prayer had something to do with it And this was the time he spent praying for our family let alone any other times he would be praying for other people and things.
He was for many years a major influence to the college of Cedarville in Ohio, I have no idea the countless lives he impacted in his time there. He was an artist, he painted and drew many pieces that I still love to look at when we visit. He also did woodworking and carving. I am almost certain that my love for woodworking came from him even though I missed out on the drawing/painting gene that my sisters got. He was truly a handyman who would do it all around the house.
Lastly he was a man of God and Scripture. Obviously he was not perfect and had flaws like all of us but he was a student of the scriptures and did almost everything with his eyes set on God and his will. He was famous for giving out little rubber like frogs to most everyone he met. I can remember a couple times him giving them out to waitresses we had. But when he gave them out he would always ask do you know what FROG stands for? and says FROG mean Fully Rely On God or when you add an S for FROGS it is Fully Rely On God's Son, and then he proceeds to ask them how he could pray for them. My grandpa was a man that I hope I can become more like, a Christ follower.
As a kid I could always remember my Grandpa and I getting in these sort of wrestling matches where he would get hold of me and I would try to escape but I never could. My grandpa was a strong healthy man that I loved to be around as a kid. I am ashamed to say that I loved my grandpa more for the fun side of being around him than for who he was as a Christ follower. It wasn't until my first year of college that I really appreciated the man he was the pillar my family could stand on proudly and yet his fight with cancer had weakened him greatly.
I never truly knew what strength was until I saw my grandpa at his weakest physically yet so strong spiritually. He wasn't afraid of death he was one who truly believed that "to die is gain." My grandfather taught me that physical strength and health is no substitute for a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. I will never forget the great lump I had in my throat during his funeral it was hard to breath let alone speak. He became my role model especially after my change in majors and it was so hard to see him go.
I am writing this to celebrate the life my grandpa lived and the impact he has left on me. I also hope that my grandpa would be an example for all of us on how to live life. Put God first and foremost in the center of our lives, love other to a greater magnitude than ourselves, be willing to give up your own life for the sake of knowing and loving God, do not fear death for we will not be taken one second before our time and when we are taken we will see the Lord and that is our whole desire and joy.
Fully Rely On God
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