My Grandmother's letter

When my Grandparents died this winter I was blessed by many gifts. I wear my Grandma's wedding band every day. I have a beautiful necklace that was hers and possibly went back further than her. I have pictures and so many memories. The most precious gift I was given was my Grandpa's Bible.

My Grandparents were very active in the North Baptist Church in Ottawa. Ever since I can remember their life was about the church.

As I started looking in the Bible I found a copy of this letter written in my Grandmother's handwriting. I vaguely remember this being read at her funeral but as I sat down to really read the words I wrote I began to realize how completely different our theology is yet very much the same.

My Grandmother believed that in order to get to Heaven you had to be saved by Jesus Christ while still living on this earth. I can remember sitting on her couch as a young girl and she began telling me how worried she was for her friends that lived down the street. They were Jewish and hadn't accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior. She was distraught that they would not spend eternity with her and couldn't figure out how to witness to them in a way that would get them to understand how serious it was. I didn't say much to my Grandma at the time, I was just a kid. But I can remember thinking "they believe in God. They just view God differently than I...maybe that is really all it is"

My theology and what I believe about grace and salvation came naturally to me. From a very young age I believed that we all get a chance to go to Heaven; Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, everyone. I never really understood how a faith that believes in grace and mercy would ever exclude anyone from eternity. As I have gotten older, my understanding of what that theology means has grown. I don't believe in original sin. I don't believe in Hell. I don't believe that just because I worship God through Christianity that there is a heaven for me and not my Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist neighbor.

I believe in salvation. I believe in the power of grace even beyond death. Jesus ministered to not only the "good" followers of God but also the least, the lost and the lonely. Jesus spoke of a way to heaven through him but also through salvation in yourself and in the way that you treat others. He spoke of two rules; to love your God and to love your neighbor as yourself. To love YOUR God. The truth is the majority of us worship one God. At least the history of the world will teach us that. We just choose to view the teaching and the word in a different way.

I was born into a Christian home. Taught by both sets of Grandparents what it means to be a Christian. How to love one another, love myself and love my God. My Grandmother, until the day she died, truly believed that without being saved by Christ in THIS life you would not go to heaven. She ends this letter by saying "We all are sinners and you want to be born again and go to heaven. Thank HIM- find a bunch of christian friends. I will be waiting for you in Heaven"

I am blessed to have different perspectives in my life. I believe my liberal United Methodist Pastor Grandfather and my Jesus saves Grandmother both had a role in my foundation in Christ. Both taught me about love, grace and mercy and both taught me about the power of living as a disciple of Christ.

Despite what we believed, we both really do believe in the same things. We believe in prayer, we believe in love and we believe in God. A higher power that is always present with us and walks with us even through the darkest moments of our lives.

I am grateful to know that as I read this letter and write this post, my Grandma is waiting for me in eternity. She is there with my dad, my grandfather and all those that have gone before me; even her friend from down the street.

God Bless this beautiful life I live and the ability to look beyond what I know and how what others believe can teach me a thing or two.