We Could Be Heroes

I spent time with my grandma yesterday. We talked about a variety of things, but one of the topics never far from the forefront was my grandad. They were married for 56 years, and she talks about him with a fondness that can only come from a life shared together. He died last year, and it's sad to see her without him, but it is great to hear the memories she has of him and to be reminded of what a great man he was.

I always liked my grandad, as did everyone on the planet. He was one of the very few people I've met that no-one had a bad word to say about. He was genuinely liked by all, and radiated such a genuine warmth that really reached out to people. He was interesting, kind, funny and selfless. At his funeral I heard that he'd gone to Bible college but that hadn't really worked out. I never knew that about him, but I know that he set about working in an 'ordinary' job, loving people and following Jesus as closely as he could.

Ever since I remember he was involved in church life, as a deacon, or preaching, or doing children's talks, or giving out Bibles, or running home groups. I think one of my favourite things that he did was to get involved with the church puppet team that went into primary schools after he retired. There he was, a 70 year old man, presenting the gospel in front of kids while being given banter by some puppets for being bald. It shouldn't really work or make sense, but it did.

On reflection, he probably respresents being devoted to God and to His church as much as anyone I've met in my life. Just to be around him was to know a man who truly loved Jesus and was committed to serving Him in all he did. The warmth he had came from a place of really knowing God well, and letting that infect every part of his life. In recent times, I have looked over his bookshelf, of the hundreds of books he had relating to God and the pursuit of understanding Him more. That bookshelf speaks of a man whose life was dedicated, whose service to God was genuine. I've taken a number of these books, hoping that I too will be able to be a man after God's heart, much like he was.

I think in my life I always felt that one day I would work full time for a church in some way. Right now, I'm not so sure how/when/if that will ever happen. Spending time thinking about my grandad reassures me of this. He had a normal job, in a normal town. But he had a phenomenal marriage, raised a great family, and lived his life serving God in every way he could. As I think about it, the people I've been influenced greatest by in my life haven't necessarily been people in high positions of paid church work. They've often been ordinary men and women with ordinary jobs who have decided to serve Jesus with their lives. They've been people who poured out love when I didn't deserve it, people who didn't condemn, and people whose lives really tried to reflect what Jesus would do.

Maybe I'll go into working for a church one day, maybe not. For now, I'll be a man in a normal job, trying to follow Jesus the best I can, hoping that makes a difference to the lives around me. Right now, I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do.