So, my Grandma who lives in southern California is visiting the house for a few weeks. She comes and visits every summer, and it's great to see her, but at the same time, as much as I love her, she does somewhat add to the stress level in the house.
It's nothing that she intentionally does I don't think, she just has a very different lifestyle than we do. Not that I'm calling her uptight or anything, but she is very much more set in her ways than we are, and we are much more laid back and easy-going, I find, than she is.
One thing that is very important to me and my family is our faith and our involvement in church. My grandma is of the opinion that if you live a decent life and you do your best to be a good person, (coupled with belief in God) that God will let you into Heaven regardless of other beliefs or lifestyles. She has concluded that all Christianity is is a list of rules and laws and regulations in order for you to be a better person, and that she doesn't need God to be a good, and upstanding.
She has also made it very clear that she doesn't like talking about theology, even though we almost always talk about it at least once during her visit.
This trip was different, however.
We started talking about the gospel in the car one day, which presented it's own set of difficulties due to her hearing loss, so a lot of things I was trying to say weren't necessarily being communicated, so we went in a lot of circles at first. Eventually, though, once we got home, it was easier to face each other and talk, and write when I needed to to try to explain to her, the Gospel.
It was also different because this time, I had a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the Gospel than I have in years past. I was able to give her solid reasons, backed by scripture as to why living a decent life - no matter how hard you tried, would be enough to get you into Heaven. I was able to explain what differentiated Christianity with all other religions and belief systems. Most of what I had told her, are things that I believed/thought we when had spoken in the past about such matters, but for whatever reason, I was not able to articulate it like I was earlier this week - which BTW, I believe was the Holy Spirit working both in me and in her.
Another major thing that happened was that towards the end, she didn't get defensive, or irritated like she has in the past, but she was actually asking me questions, and asking me to explain things that were unclear to her. (Because of this I think God was working in her, and in me.)
She still thinks that salvation comes through living a decent life, but I think she has a deeper understanding of salvation by grace through faith in Christ than she did before.
Later that night however... the two of us got into kind of a big fight and it's been kinda tense between us since... Not really sure what to do, but I'm hoping that God will continue to work in her despite Satan trying to shove his way in. I ask for your prayers for her and for me as well, that we might know God's will and trust Him in it.
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