My Mamaw

My grandmother – my mother’s mother – was one of a kind. She played the organ at Leesburg United Methodist Church for more than 40 years. Her idea of a good time for us boys was to stand around the piano and sing hymns while she played. To this day, I think I know almost every hymn in the hymnal. She wouldn’t let us run in front of the church because she said the church was God’s house, and it was to be respected.

She cooked on Saturday because she said no one should work on Sunday. I didn’t know that fried chicken could be anything but cold because my fried chicken at her house was always fried on Saturday. We were to come to her house every Sunday after church and after we ate we were to go to the front porch and not make any noise because the grownups would sit in the living room and talk. We were not to run and play because it was God’s Day. I remember my Mamaw just like it was yesterday, and yet she has been dead for more than 40 years.

According to II Timothy 1:3-7, Timothy’s grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, had a huge impact on his life. Timothy’s upbringing was not only fundamental in his relationship with God, but it was vital in his usefulness in the Lord’s service. My Mamaw had a similar impact on my life and the lives of my brothers. At one time, two of us were choir directors and two were pastors.

As parents and grandparents, we have a huge influence on our children and grandchildren. We are called to teach them about God and His son Jesus. We are called to witness the love of Christ to all and our children and grandchildren so they will learn through our example. We are called to leave a legacy so the next generation will know how to love as Jesus loved.

II Timothy 3:14 — “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned.”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Image: Adobe iStock