Childlike Happiness

August 2021

There are people God puts in our paths that help shape us into who we are today. Some people change our lives forever. Those people become our biggest fans, support systems, inner circles, and best friends. When God gives us someone like this, we are blessed. I was blessed to have the most amazing cheerleader in my life, my Nana. Hands down, she was the one woman who had the most impact and major influence on my life. She was way more than just a grandmother to me, she was a spiritual mother that trained me in the ways of the Lord by her example.

My beloved Papaw graduated into eternal glory only a few short months ago and today, on 8-1-2021 at 6:00am, my family and I celebrated the graduation of my precious Nana. They are now together in Heaven. The love birds just couldn’t stand to be apart for long. My heart sure does hurt, but my spirit rejoices. So today, I want to do my best to honor the most amazing woman I have ever met, my Nana.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

Nana, Nana, bo-bana,

Banana-fana fo-fana,

Fee-fi-mo-mana,

NANA!

If you knew my Grandmother, you would know that she would absolutely love that I started out honoring her life and legacy with that fun little song. She was a kid trapped in a graceful and beautiful adult's body and I loved that about her. She had a way of being the most elegant woman in the room, yet the funnest. I never knew how she did it, but somehow she did. Adults and children alike were drawn to her fun, gentle, and warm smile. She was like a bug zapper of the love of Jesus and people flocked to her and instantly loved her. Even though she was my Nana, everyone that knew her called her “Nana” too because she loved everyone like they were her own children.

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 18:3

If I were to describe my Nana in just one word it would be “Happiness.” She was full of pure and complete childlike happiness. Happiness surrounded her home, her hugs, her talks, her silly dances, her candy drawer, her candy in her purse, the red sour gummy worms that she saved just for me because she knew they were my favorite, her extra candy she had stashed just in case she ran out of the candy in the candy drawer, and most importantly her love and devotion to the Lord, her prayers and support, and the way she guided her whole family, including me, closer to Jesus. She not only brought happiness, she brought life, love, and joy to every single person she ever encountered.

“There is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live.” Ecclesiastes 3:12

My Nana had the most amazing smile and her love oozed out of her grin. Her home was a reflection of that smile and felt like a warm hug every time I entered the doors. It caused me to never want to leave and gave me the desire to create that same environment where others and the Holy Spirit always felt welcome. When I did have to leave her house, she made sure that I didn't leave hungry. She loaded my arms with goodies, gifts, and of course candy as I walked out of her doors. No one left her presence feeling unloved and without being cared for. She, without fail, sent cards to hundreds, maybe thousands of people throughout the years. Everyone knew her as the candy and card lady as she made sure to make everyone feel extra special in small but impactful ways. She even cooked goodies for every single doctor or office she visited. Everyone loved her baked goodies (especially her chess cake and cherry delight) that always had Bible verses taped to the top of the pans.

My Nana was one of my very best friends and I loved her deeply. As a child, I wanted to be her and as an adult, I realized I could never come close. She far surpassed us all! She was a picture of what I envision the Proverbs 31 woman to be. Every morning, without fail, I watched her start her day alone with the Lord, reading and studying God's Word. She would sit with the Lord and pray for every single person that she had ever told that she would pray for. If she told you she would pray for you, she did. She was a major advocate for her children, grandchildren, and great grands before the throne of God and held them before Him constantly. I watched my whole life as she spent countless hours every morning with the Lord. When she would emerge from her time with Him, she looked different and I am certain this was the key to her undeniable beauty all her 87 years.

“​​Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

She took every single moment of her life and filled it with Jesus. She even filled her time spent in the bathroom with Him. Every time I would go into my Nana’s bathroom I would read all of her devotionals, Christian books, and various versions of the Bible she kept nearby. She showed me that every moment counts.

I loved reading her journals as I snuck and took a peek. I would scroll through the pages until I found the prayers she prayed for me and words the Lord spoke to her about me that she never shared but kept tucked away in her heart. I would read and feel not only her love for me in the pages of her prayer journals, but God’s love through her. She stewarded His words well and the fruit of her devotion to Him was evident by the praise reports within the pages of her stacks of journals.

She constantly had sermons playing on her TV as she sought to grow deeper in the Word of God or had worship music blaring throughout her house. My Papaw and Nana took communion together every single day as they sought Jesus together. They were a powerful team! Every night Nana would kneel beside her bed and pray. I remember staying with her one time after she had a knee replacement surgery and she had me help her kneel by the bed even though she was in horrific pain. Nothing stopped her from the disciplines she had in place because she knew the power in kneeling in prayer before the King. Anyone who stayed the night with her knew that she would make you kneel and pray before bedtime. She would not take “No” for an answer. She was a force to be reckoned with––a mighty woman of God.

Over the years she was my safe haven. Growing up as a pastor's kid with a home full of people and busy in full time ministry, her home was my hiding place. When I was sick, she cared for me. When I wanted quiet, she came, picked me up, and brought me to her house. When I needed to escape, she snuck me out. We had fun as we retreated to our special place together and talked for hours. In those times, she waited on me hand and foot and let me watch “wholesome” cartoons for as long as I wanted (she guarded her home fiercely, not allowing bad shows) as she fed me Funyuns, Ravioli, and Mandarin oranges straight out of the can. She made me slushies and gave me Coke out of a baby bottle until I was a teenager (which I still joke about to this day). She always treated me like a queen throughout the years, but she is the one that should be praised. Because of her godly character and love, all her family adored her. Proverbs 17:6 says that, “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged.” My Nana’s grandchildren and many great grandchildren were the light of her life and crown on her head––a legacy that will now carry on her strong faith in the Lord for years to come. She was like our family's own Mary Poppins and is a woman worthy to be praised, honored, and her life and legacy told for generations.

Although my Nana wasn’t perfect, lived through much, and endured great hardships, she came out unharmed as she beautifully arose out of all that was meant to stop her. She told countless stories of how God made beauty out of ashes and showed me that nothing was impossible with God. She knew the secret was love and devotion to the Lord. She knew how to fight opposition by kneeling before the King. She modeled what a God fearing woman looked like and I am forever grateful that the Lord chose me to be her granddaughter so that I could get a front row seat to watch how she loved Jesus, her family, and others so very well. She trained me over the years by her example. Although I wanted to be just like her, she wanted me to be better––to learn from her mistakes and successes.

“​​Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

“Provide for those who grieve in Zion––to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

Although my one word to describe my Nana was childlike “Happiness,” I am pretty sure that is Jesus’ word for her too. She brought Him happiness and joy. Her name was Joyce which means happy, cheerful, and full of joy and in some origins it means Lord, or warrior. My Nana Joyce embodied them all. She brought joy to the Lord, was a cheerful strong warrior for Him, and brought happiness to everyone around her. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy will live on for generations to come. She changed the course of my life and our family by her dedication to the Lord and influenced our blood line with a deep desire to know Jesus more everyday. My heart could not handle the grief of not being able to see her in this temporary world again without the promise of being together in Heaven. I am so thankful that God let us borrow her for a short time. So this is not a goodbye, but a see you forever, Nana. I love you more than words could ever say and I’m so glad you were mine!

“Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.” Proverbs 14:13

“So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” John 16:22

I have found that even in grief, joy can be found as we lean on God in times of sorrow. God is in control! He is the Master Planner and Weaver of the most beautiful of all tapestries. He does nothing by mistake. People come and go in our lives as they impact and change us forever by adding beautiful pieces to the quilts of our life along the way. Those people that God puts in our paths are there for a purpose. Even if it’s just for a season, it is for a reason. They are helping Him shape the course and direction of our lives.

As we look around at the people God has placed in our lives for the good, we can take notice and realize that not one thing is by chance. They are the ones He has placed there and they are God’s perfect plan for our lives. As we recognize and see that we are blessed by God with the people He has surrounded us with, we can trust in His ultimate plan for our life and surrender to the process.

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

Allowing people into our close circles in life can be scary at times, especially when loving someone so dear hurts. Although I am grieving the pain of the loss of my Nana, I’m here to tell you that I wouldn’t have changed anything for the world. I am so glad I took the time and invested in knowing her, in learning from her, and growing by her godly example––even if the cost of losing her is grief. By trusting her and allowing her to impact and influence my life, I am the person that I am today. I see God’s beautiful design at work. He had me near her to learn to love Him more.

“T​​rust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

I encourage you to trust the process that the Lord has you in as you learn to trust Him and those He brings your way more each and every day. I pray that you will allow the Lord to mold you and your life into a beautiful work of art for His glory as He sews and closely knits you with other like-minded people to make His name famous in the earth. May we all learn to love, enjoy life, and trust others that the Lord brings into our inner circles. He wants us all to be happy and enjoy life to it’s fullest. He desires to make beauty out of our past, pain, or grief as He leaves a legacy behind for His glory. As we surrender to Him, He will be our Comfort and Guide along our journey as we seek to know Him more. If you are walking through uncertainty, pain, loss, or grief, know that the Lord is so very close to you. Let Him hold you and love you back to life. Let Him be your strength when you feel weak as you lay in His loving arms and trust Him.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31