A Grandmother's Legacy

A Grandmother's Legacy

Phillip Eichman has written about a special book in his library:

I have a number of books but one of them in particular is very special to me. It is neither rare
nor valuable as far as books go. It is obviously old and the pages are yellow and brittle and the
cover is very worn. You can find better books at a garage sale or on the bookshelf at the local
Goodwill store. The title might help you understand a little of its value. It is called The Story
of the Bible and was written by Charles Foster. It is a children's book that contains a simplified
summary of each book of the Bible...

The value of the book for me lies in its original owner. You see, this book belonged to my
great-grandmother. She died when I was a baby and I do not remember her, but I have heard stories
about her. She and her family were Christians, but as a young woman she married a man who was not a
Christian. It was not long, however, before he became a Christian through her good example.

As children were born she began to teach them about God and his Word. She must have literally worn
out the binding of this book reading it to her children. At one point she repaired the binding with
denim material no doubt taken from the sewing box and cut from a pair of men's overalls.

My mother lived with her grandparents when she was small and remembered her grandmother reading
stories to her from the book and speaking of the God that she knew so well.

My mother grew up, however, without obeying the Gospel that she had learned about from her
grandmother. She too married and had children of her own. When we were small, however, my brother
and I knew little of God, the Bible, or churches. Other children in the neighborhood often went to
Sunday school, but we stayed home and wondered what it was all about.

Years passed and when I was twelve years old I had a bicycle accident that resulted in a serious
head injury that kept me in the hospital for more than a week. As I lay in the hospital my mother
realized from her early teaching that she was not in a relationship with God that would allow her to
pray for me and that she needed to make some changes in her life.

After I had recovered sufficiently my mother began to take my brother and me, along with my
grandmother, to Bible school and church services. Eventually both my mother and grandmother were
baptized. My father, however, did not want anything to do with churches or religion. In time,
however, he also became a Christian through the influence of my mother.

In a very real sense I owe my own relationship with God to Bible stories read from this book to my
mother when she was a child. I might easily have grown up and not known or cared about God had it
not been for the godly influence of a grandmother.

The simple act of reading Bible stories to children may not seem too exciting or important in our
fast paced world. The fact remains, however, that even though many years had passed, the seed that
was planted eventually germinated in the heart of its hearer and like a growing plant has continued
to bear fruit even several generations later.

Yes, this is a very special book, not because of its monetary value but because it connects the
members of my family who have come to know Jesus with the one who planted the seed in the mind of a
child long ago.*

My prayer is that Phillip's account will encourage YOU to read and study the Bible, and then teach
it to your children and your grandchildren. Read and study the Bible so that you and your family
can come to know Jesus and what He did for us. He died on the cross for our sins so that we can be
saved and live eternally with Him in heaven (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 6:23).

The Bible teaches that to receive this gift of salvation we must place our faith and trust in Jesus
(Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans
10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38). Then,
as we continue to walk in the light of His Word, the blood that Jesus shed for our sins will
continue to cleanse us (1 John 1:7-9).

Plant the seed of the Word of God in your heart and the hearts of your loved ones. It may bear
fruit for generations to come. Just ask Phillip.

-- David A. Sargent

* From "A Grandmother's Legacy" by Phillip Eichman of Irmo, South Carolina as shared in
PreacherStuff, a resource for preachers edited by Dan Williams, Vice President for Church Relations,
Harding University.