The Grandmother
A Story Inspired by Episode 3 of The Timeless Gospel Podcast
“Moses had seen all the miraculous things of God, but Moses was not satisfied. ‘And God said I myself will make all my goodness pass before you.’ That’s the glory of God…His goodness.” Larry Horton
Episode 3 of the podcast was the first episode in which I would be alone for the discussion portion. I remember thinking a lot about an analogy that had come to mind when I heard the sermon that was next in the line up to be played on Episode 3.
Larry spoke of “obedience to faith” or of an obedience the Christian displays out of joy and gratitude, not resentment or compulsion.
From the analogy I made of a grandmother giving the command to “come eat” the Thanksgiving dinner in Episode 3, comes this story I wrote about 6 months after the episode aired.
The Grandmother
Natalie quickly turned off her bedroom light and raced down the hallway to the front door.
“Is it time to go?” she asked her mother.
“I think so,” her mother replied, noticing a beaming smile spread across her daughter’s face.
The eternal optimist, Natalie took the answer to be a YES, grabbed her coat, and headed to the family van, hoping her brother Jack hadn’t already taken her favorite seat, way in the back.
The ride to Grandma’s house was usually long and dull, but Natalie remembered to grab a copy of her favorite book, Watership Down, to keep her occupied.
At last, the van pulled up in that familiar driveway, and her family shuffled out as Natalie was just finishing her chapter.
“Do you think we’ll have to wait for dinner as long as we did last Thanksgiving?” her brother asked as Natalie shut the van door.
“Doesn’t matter, it will be worth it. I'm positive!”
“It better be, I’m already starving,” said Jack, whose take on life wasn’t nearly as optimistic as his sister’s.
As soon as Natalie walked in the house, she began contemplating what kind of pie she would eat, or what kind of pie she would eat first, if her mother didn’t begrudge her two pieces.
She ran through the old house with creaky wooden floors and tons of love, bypassing cousins, uncles, and aunts, to find her Grandmother.
“Grandma!” she yelled, as she approached the kitchen, finding her Grandma standing over a pot of boiling potatoes.
“Natalie!” Grandma exclaimed, putting down her wooden spoon and taking a few steps toward Natalie with her arms outstretched.
After a long embrace, Grandma led Natalie to the kitchen table, where she invited Natalie to sit, then pulled out a chair for herself, and sat down with a sigh.
“You came just in time Natalie, I needed an excuse to sit down. How is school going for you?”
“Oh you know, it’s the same ole same ole. My art class is really fun though,”
Natalie continued to chat with Grandma until they both heard the “ding ding ding” of a kitchen timer, which meant Grandma’s short reprieve was over.
“How can I help Grandma?” secretly hoping Grandma wouldn’t need her too long. There were cousins to talk to, and a big backyard to rediscover.
“You know, why don’t you go see what your cousins are up to, and don’t worry about a thing. You’ll hear the call when it’s time to eat.”
How does Grandma know me so well, Natalie thought. She gave Grandma one more quick hug and began scanning the dining room for her favorite cousin Alison.
About an hour later, Natalie heard the command. It was the command she had been waiting for all day.
“Come, come and eat!”
No one had to be told twice, everyone in the house moved towards the table, some continuing their conversations as they walked, some mute as they sought out the best seats.
Natalie sat next to the chair she hoped would be the one Grandma landed in, when Grandma stopped bustling.
As Natalie waited for the prayer to finish, she thought about the hours and hours of work that went into the meal before her, and how quickly the food would disappear into mouths and stomachs. She let a touch of sadness creep in her heart, but then heard “Amen” and suddenly her fork was full of creamy potatoes.
What could be done but enjoy what was before her. The rolls were warm, the butter was soft, the turkey was juicy, and the not so tasteful side dishes like cranberry sauce and green bean casserole were easily avoided. Her mother was too happy to scrutinize her plate.
When the darkness came and it was time to leave, Natalie squeezed her Grandma extra hard and wished Grandma lived next door.
“I love you all so much, I wish everyday could be Thanksgiving,” Grandma said, almost in a whisper as Natalie stepped out onto the front porch.
“Oh me too Grandma, me too!”
Grace Application:
What is the “obedience of faith” Paul speaks of in Romans 1:5? It’s an act of believing what God says. So much happens when we believe what God says.
We come, we eat, we enjoy.
When Natalie’s Grandma gave the command, “Come, Come and eat,” the family stopped what they were doing and obeyed.
But why did they obey? Is it because Grandma was going to give them all a grade for how quickly they approached the table, or how well they “did Thanksgiving?”
Not at all.
They obeyed because they believed what was waiting for them at the table was good. What was waiting for them at that table was soul filling, not just stomach filling.
What was waiting for them at that table was a demonstration of Grandma’s love. Of course they would want to participate in the love, joy and rest before them.
Do we want to obey our Heavenly Father? I am happy to say yes, yes we do. We have the life of Christ in us. (Col. 1:27) We are a new creation. (IICor. 5:17)
Often the Christian culture tells us that Grandma will grade us at the end of the meal. Often this same culture tells us that we need to do the best we can to eat the right way, and talk the right way, and say the perfect thing at the table.
And that if we continue going back to the Thanksgiving table year after year, practicing “doing Thanksgiving” correctly, we’ll get better and better at enjoying the meal.
However the Bible teaches us that there isn’t any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Rom. 8:1) and that we are complete in Him.
Let’s enjoy the Christian life He has for us. Let’s glorify and honor the work Christ has done by eating freely at His table.
Let’s participate in our Christian walk by obeying the New Testament commands, knowing they are good for us, but that we will not be graded or lose fellowship with God when we fall short.
