I’ve been thinking a great deal about my Grandad these past few days, though I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s the fact that summer is coming to a close, and those summer days were when I would go and spend several days or even weeks with him in Bay City, Texas.
Summer with Grandad was relatively routine, running errands, watching TV, and helping with projects around the house. But I learned some valuable lessons during those days as well. I learned the skill of balancing on a railroad track as we would drive down to the switch yard in town and watch two diesel locomotives pass back and forth with various cargos. I learned that when you spend all afternoon picking up railroad spikes, your hands turn a muddy brown and stink like metal for days and days, no matter how
much you wash them. I learned that nachos can be a breakfast food, especially when tortilla chips are piled with eggs, bacon, beans, cheese, and salsa. But it has to be eaten at a greasy spoon joint (ours was called
Diamond S) while sitting in sticky leather booth seats. I learned the value of reading a book on a summer afternoon while Grandad would nap on the couch, or how to run and care for a Lionel Electric Train. I learned about great movie stars like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, and John Wayne. I learned how to use my imagination as we would drive and listen to old radio programs. My personal favorites were Gunsmoke, The Shadow, The Six Shooter, The Jack Benny Program, and The Six Shooter. I came to realize that all Godzilla movies were essentially the same, but that didn’t make them any less entertaining. And that late-night conversations and the sharing of stories were a sacred and special time to be appreciated and enjoyed.
There were, of course, many more, like the taste of Dr. Pepper on a hot summer afternoon, or watching a creek fill up with water during an afternoon thunderstorm. And how to make the perfect pot of beans! I could keep going on and on, but what was my point again?
Ah…yes! Memories! Guess I got caught up with them again in this devotional!
Sweet memories are God’s gift to us and the legacy we leave others in our minds. Even Jesus speaks about such blessed memories in the Gospel of John. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you (John 14:26).” You know, I’ve never really thought about the Holy Spirit in this way before. But the Spirit acts as a living and current witness to the past testimony and life of Jesus. It reminds us, guides us, corrects us, and encourages us. Christ lives within us and about us in this present time through the Holy Spirit. Which is a cherished thought.
We ought to remember this thought when we interact with others. It is a reminder that the memories we leave about ourselves and our relationships with others leave a legacy. They accompany others throughout their lives as living witnesses to our successes and failures. This is not a call to perfection, my friends, or to worry about your past mistakes. But instead, we need to embody the work of the Holy Spirit in our interactions with others. May those who encounter you leave with an impression of Christ Jesus.
The memories of my grandfather are far from perfect, as he was not a perfect man. But the legacy he left in the memories I have provides comfort and peace in times of turmoil and stress within my daily life. I can close my eyes and be walking along a railroad track, smell a pot of beans cooking, or hear the sound of a model train racing down the tracks. It is a momentary respite, a brief summer vacation of yesteryear. But the Holy Spirit leaves a perfect legacy upon my heart and yours. Memories of the perfect Savior who left us perfect guidance and a perfect promise of never being forsaken or abandoned. I thank God for the memories of my Grandad. But I throw myself prostrate in reverence and absolute desperation for the perfect memories of Christ. And pray that my legacy is one that in some small way captures our perfect Savior.
What is your Legacy of Memory, my friend?
—
Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield, TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston, TX
