“But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”
Mark 6:4
When I started working as volunteer clergy in the jail we saw different men each week as we ministered. Being in my 30’s then, some of those men were old enough to be my father or grandfather.
My thoughts then:
How can I relate to men who are so much older than me?
That’s when the Lord taught me that the gospel is the bridge that all men can cross.
Our common ground isn’t age, life experience, or wisdom…our common ground is our shared sin debt that only Jesus Christ can pay for…if we choose to let Him.
When I learned that, the gospel became the ONLY message, and my own experience and wisdom took a backseat. Anxiety left.
God reached the hearts of those older men, and many received Christ as their personal Savior.
I tried with my own Grandfather, but sharing the Gospel was so much harder with him.
I knew him. He knew me.
He was always humorous, and so that dominated the conversation. He danced around religious talk, but he was very hard to nail down on specifics.
He saw me only as a Grandson.
I wanted to minister to his spiritual needs…but my identity was mostly just “the religious Grandson.”
It’s hard to step outside of a role and title you’ve had for years, especially with family.
Frustrated with those dead-end conversations, I poured my heart into writing a loving card which gave my own salvation testimony and the gospel plan of salvation. Then I prayed over it, stuck it in an envelope, and mailed it to him.
I prayed a lot that it would reach his heart.
Three days later my Mom called me and said that my Grandpa had a heart attack and died in his apartment.
I thought of the letter.
Did it reach him in time?
Did he accept Christ?
I got my answer two days later when the card appeared in my mailbox unopened and stamped: RETURN TO SENDER.
I don’t know why it came back,
but Grandpa never read it.
I sure hope he called on the Lord at some point to save him.
I hope that I was a good example.
I tried. That’s all you can do with family sometimes.
Try your best to love and reach them for Christ but leave them in God’s hands.
It’s our job to tell people the Good News, but only God can do the saving.
Have a blessed day!
dailyarmor.blog 
I held my breath as I read this, praying for a happy ending. “Return to sender”… heartbreaking! You are so right. All you can do for family is share the gospel and pray. You don’t know what was in his heart when he passed. He may have accepted Christ at the end. So sorry for your loss.
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Thank you, I was grieved when he passed away five years ago. The Lord reminded me then that I can’t dwell on it, but rather leave it in His hands. There was a reason that God allowed that letter to come back to me…I have no idea why, I just have to trust that His ways are higher than my ways.
Have a blessed day!
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Yes, the Nazarenes saw Jesus as the carpenter, the son of Mary and Joseph (even though God was His Father, which they didn’t know). They could not take Him seriously as a Rabbi nevermind as the Messiah; it is little wonder that they wanted to kill Him. We experience the same rejection in our families and it is hard to bear; I also speak from personal experience after being shunned by my family for many years. Despite the pain I know that I shared Jesus with them; it is in their hands and the hands of God now.
Thank you for sharing your testimony brother Eric. May our Father God continue to guide and bless you each day brother 🙏
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You make great points, brother Alan! I’m sure that millions of people experience such rejection on a daily basis, especially those who convert to Christianity from cults or false religions. Voice of the Martyrs newsletters are a stark reminder that family can be the hardest to sway and convince of the truth.
Blessings to you, my friend! Thank you for sharing your testimony as well. 👍🏻
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You must have been broken-hearted to have your letter returned to you. I’m sorry for your loss and for the uncertainty you have about your grandfather’s acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ into his life. I’d like to believe you were successful.
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Thanks, Nancy…yes it was strange when I opened the mailbox and that letter was there. Whenever something bizarre like that (or a flooded crawlspace😉) happens I immediately force myself to say “God knew this would happen. He allowed it.”
That gets my mind immediately in the right zone…I don’t always respond well after that, but at least it trips that “perspective” switch in my brain.
I did beat myself up after that, convinced that I didn’t do enough…but do we ever? None of us are perfect and relationships are all different and can be complex. Not to mention some people like my Grandpa didn’t want to have deep conversations about Christ, salvation, and eternity.
God knows. He’s still a great God.😀
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You have confidence in God and His providence and don’t appear to be wobbly when it comes to encouraging others to accept Him into their lives. You probably did more for your Grandfather than he revealed to you.
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You are a tremendous encouragement! Thanks for that…😉👍🏻
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You’re welcome!
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So sorry for this loss in your life. Your Grampa knew that he was loved by you and He knew your life as a testimony to Jesus. Sometimes that is all the message we are allowed to share. I know because that was the case with my mom and my grandparents. I pray along with you that it was enough for them to come to Him to the end. Blessings to you my friend
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Thank you, Pastor Pete. I appreciate your wisdom and insights. My partner in the jail ministry is in his 70’s and He always told me this:
“When you get to heaven you’ll be first surprised at who IS there, then you’ll be surprised at who ISN’T there, and finally you’ll be amazed that YOU’RE THERE.”
I don’t know if that’s true or not, but something tells me it’s a good theory.😉👍🏻
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