Grandmothers

Grandmothers

Maacah And Lois

Read: 2 Chronicles 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:5

I stood beside my grandmother’s casket, hardly recognizing the woman with the teased hair and makeup. I remembered a woman in a simple cotton dress who worked hard and laughed easily. How I loved my summer visits as a little girl, going to vacation Bible school at Grandma’s country church. At the beginning of the week, Grandma would pick a yellow squash that had grown too big for eating, draw a face on it, and fit it with a bonnet that she had sewed. It wasn’t exactly the latest Barbie, but it made me feel special because it was made especially for me. Almost fifty years later, I still remember my squash dolls.

The verses in today’s reading contrast two grandmothers and their influence. When King Asa decided to rid Judah of idol worship, he deposed his grandmother from her position as queen mother because Maacah had made an Asherah pole, a Canaanite fertility symbol. On the other end of the spectrum, Timothy’s grandmother passed on her love of God’s Word to her grandson, and he became an influential leader in the early church. Maacah exercised her power in a way that brought her dishonor, while the Bible commends Lois for her influence in her grandson’s life.

Grandmothers are in a position to affect the next generation in a powerful way. According to a September 2005 report from the AARP, 4.5 million children live in grandparent-headed households, and many more have grandparents as primary babysitters. If our grandchildren live far away, it takes more effort and creativity to be involved in their lives, but with e-mails, phone calls, and photos, it is possible. Even if we don’t have grandchildren of our own, we probably live close to a young family that would love a surrogate grandma or nana. It doesn’t take much to make a difference in a child’s life—just love, time, and perhaps a large vegetable.

You share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois.

2 Timothy 1:5