Do you ever receive a phone call out of the blue that ends up being so encouraging or refreshing? The other day I had a moment like that with my grandma. My grandma and I have always had a good relationship, but this conversation was just so sweet. Last year she moved to a nursing home, and then due to COVID-19, we could not see her for quite a few months. Now any time that I can spend with her, I do not take for granted.
The other day, I noticed that my grandma was calling me, and I was so excited to hear from her! We talked about different activities we like to do in our free time. She mentioned that every night before bed, she has a list of scriptures that she memorizes. My grandma has apparently had this list for years, and every night she will go look up a few of the verses and continue to
memorize them or recite them to herself. She said she likes to do it to keep her mind active and help her remain steadfast in her faith. I had no idea she has been doing this so long and I thought it was amazing!
My grandma shared a few of the verses she recently memorized, and then I was able to share with her a large group of verses that I memorized a while back too. We went back and forth for a while and it was really encouraging to be able to share verses that have been on our hearts and that have kept us going especially during the past year. We then continued to talk about different Bible translations that we prefer, various devotionals we have enjoyed, and even some books we thought of sharing with one another! It became a great time of encouragement for both
of us.
I have always treasured my conversations with my grandma over the years, but I had no idea that what was originally just a time to catch up would be a window into how she has held fast and grown in her faith well into her 80s. Our conversation challenged me to think about the verses I have memorized over the years and reminded me to start memorizing new ones!
With the Bible study students at Campus Life, we recently were talking about studying the Bible not just with our hearts, but our minds as well. That conversation was a great reminder that we cannot just study the Bible when we feel like it, but to make study and memorization a daily discipline. We must keep God’s word in our mind to ground us in His truth for our daily lives. We never know when a conversation like this may happen! Also, if you haven't spoken to a loved one in awhile, I hope you use this as a reminder to do so. What a gift it is to grow together in our faith
whether we are 20 or 80!