This past Sunday, as we celebrated Easter, I couldn’t help thinking about my grandmother. She died last year on Easter morning. We were driving home from church, getting ready to host Easter dinner that year, when we got the call that she had passed. She had been in hospice care so we knew it was only a matter of time, but we were all still saddened by the loss.

However, as sad as I was to no longer have my grandmother with me, my first thought was “wow, she gets to spend Easter Sunday in the arms of her Savior.”

You see my grandmother knew Jesus intimately. She didn’t just attend church services out of habit or a sense of religious duty, she had a personal relationship with God. At her funeral, we were able to see her Bible, and it was touching to see how well worn it was from regular use. They say a Bible that’s falling apart is usually owned by a person who isn’t. This was certainly the case for my grandma.

I still miss my grandmother, but I am thankful for the example she left for her family. My grandmother prayed for her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren regularly. It was always such a blessing to hear my grandma tell me she had been praying for me and my boys (and I know she would have been thrilled to hear about our baby girl!).

She didn’t have an easy life by any means, but the joy of the Lord truly was her strength. As we stood at her funeral, looking at all the pictures of her from over the years, I was struck by the fact that Grandma always had a smile on her face. As a single mother, she went through some very tough times, and like all of us she was not perfect, but she kept faith in God throughout her life. Her smile and her deep love for her family and her God are the things I remember best about her. She cried with me during the sad times and she cried tears of joy during the happy times. I am so thankful for her faithful example.

My grandmother left a spiritual legacy that has been passed to our family, and now I strive to pass on to my own children. That is three generations directly impacted by her life and example as she followed Christ.

As I have spent these last few weeks preparing my heart for Easter, it has been my prayer that I, too, may leave a spiritual legacy to my children and grandchildren and everyone I meet. May my life shine for Christ, even during difficult circumstances, and at the end of my life may people say of me that they saw Christ in me.