Grandma

This week, I met a wonderful woman who deeply inspired me. I will call her “grandma,” because that is who she is to those who love her and whom she has cared for throughout her life. She was a 79-year-old African American woman, raised in Texas and living in Los Angeles for the past twenty years. When I entered her room, she was on the phone, speaking warmly to someone who sounded close to her. After I introduced myself as a hospital chaplain intern, her face lit up, and she said, “Glory be, thank you, Jesus.” I replied, “Oh, you are a woman of faith!” She answered, “Yes, I’ve been a Christian since I was a little girl in Texas. I pray every day to Lord Jesus to care for my family, my grandchildren, and people in need.”

She seemed to be in the hospital for testing because she was not feeling well. When I asked how she was doing, she smiled and responded positively. I also asked how she had slept, and her answer challenged me: “I got up at three in the morning and prayed for everyone, and I also prayed at six. I’ve been doing it for years.” Her words reminded me of Daniel, who prayed three times a day with windows open toward Jerusalem, and of David’s psalm: “As for me, I shall call upon God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me, for they are many who strive with me” (Ps.55:16-18). Suddenly, I realized I was standing before a prayer warrior. Though small, frail, and advanced in years, she had a strong faith that shone through. Her voice carried determination, commitment, and unwavering trust that God hears her prayers. She reminded me of my parents who are also prayer warriors. They’ve been doing for many years,  when they say they’ll pray for me I know it won’t be just words.

Just then, a young African American man entered, neatly dressed in jeans, glasses, and a tucked-in collared shirt. He walked to the other side of the bed and said, “Hi, Grandma. How are you doing today?” before leaning down to kiss her forehead. I sensed a deep bond between them, closer than ordinary family ties. She said, “This is my grandson.” We nodded and greeted each other softly, and I stepped back to give them space to talk.

Then a nurse entered with a monitor and asked us to step out briefly. As I spoke with the young man, I mentioned the deep connection I had sensed between him and his grandmother. He said his family loved her deeply. I learned that she had raised him and his siblings after their parents died. Though other adult relatives were present, the responsibility fell on her to care for them and did so well. His words, demeanor, and appearance showed me he had been raised with love and discipline. I thought of Prophetess Deborah, whom God used to lead His people when male leadership was lacking. Here was another woman of faith, prayer, and leadership who rose to meet her family’s needs. I thanked God for Grandma and other women like her. Her example also challenged me to examine my own leadership in my family, among peers, and with people. Will I rise as a prayer warrior and man of God for my generation, or will God have to raise up praying grandmas in my place? I pray that I will stand faithfully and not be put to shame before such warrior grandmas. I have a feeling that they will rise up on that day and put many young Christian men to shame.