An Ordinary Mom's Musings

I have a Grandmother.

I had two.

One left the church long ago.

I used to pray as a child that my Grandmother would find her way back to church. But years came and went. For 60 years she kept away. For years my mother prayed that she would make her way back.

God wasn’t answering our prayers.

But these were good prayers. Righteous prayers. Prayers that would help someone else. Why weren’t they being answered?

Here’s the thing, God doesn’t “make” us do anything. He gives us all a choice. He respects our right to choose. Sometimes he helps us out by humbling us so that we make better choices, but he never forces us.

Last year my Grandpa, her husband, died. He wasn’t religious, but he was a good man.

In the mean time through the last year or so, church members had been reaching out to her, building a relationship that wasn’t based on whether she went to church or not. She enjoyed their friendship.

That friendship, and the prayers of her family were key. They were what made it easier for her to transition back to going to church regularly. This year, Grandma took huge steps and returned to church. She may be in her 80’s but it’s never too late for God.

I believe that my prayers, and that of my mother, and her mother have continued on, all this time bringing her to this place where she could have the desire and the courage to come back.

Have you been praying for years for something? Do you have a child or family member who has left the church? God hears those prayers. Your prayers are not in vain. It may take 20 years, or 60 years in the case of my Grandmother.