The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:10, “Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.”
I wish everyone reading this column a Merry Christmas. As I write this column and as we approach the celebration of Christmas, it’s important to distinguish biblical joy from earthly happiness. A gift may bring temporary happiness after opening, unwrapping, and wearing, but THE gift of Christ continues to give day after day. Can I get an “amen?”
Understand this: Biblical joy comes from the profound decision of faith and hope in the power of Jesus’ own life and love. When we believe that Jesus’ love has overcome death itself, joy becomes reasonable and obtainable. This doesn’t mean we should ignore or suppress sorrow; that’s not healthy or helpful.
Paul often expressed his grief alongside his joy. Paul’s greatest feat was his ability to acknowledge his pain as he also chose to trust Jesus’ promise that his loss would not be the final word. I hope you enjoyed that little Bible lesson…
I would be out of line if I didn’t mention the passing of one of my grandmothers this past Wednesday. She was in her 90s and lived a good life. I say her 90s because despite what my uncle said, we do not know how old she was. She grew up in a time where they would put names and dates in a Bible and in most cases that was the only record.
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She grew up on a sharecroppers’ farm and moved to the big city of Augusta as a young adult. She enjoyed seeing me on TV any chance she got, and I would always tell her when I would be on. As soon as she heard my voice — whether it was on the news, on church live stream or in person — the next line you would hear from her was, “There go my boy.”
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She would make my cousin read her my article every week. I learned at an early age that my grandmother, Bulah Mae Meyers, had some difficulty reading. This was probably due to her working in the fields instead of finishing school. She never admitted to it, but anytime there was something to read, whether mail, cards or letters, she would always say, “Just read that… I ain’t got my glasses.”
Either way, she was one of a kind.
I always say, “I am blessed to have three grandmothers: one that ushers, one that sing and one that cusses.” On Wednesday, I guess the Lord was in need of a doorkeeper. Those of us lucky enough to have known our grandmothers understand the gift of a grandmother in our lives.
Grandmothers are our friend, a storyteller and a smart mouth who can get away with saying anything she pleases. I am a blessed soul who was able to grow up with all my grandmothers, and I still have two at my beck and call. Close enough to always grab them when I want to.
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I heard someone say, “Grandmothers are a gift not to be taken lightly. So many lose them before they are old enough to know their magic.”
I was able to embrace that magic all the time… There aren’t many men who are as lucky as I am. I promise that I cherish every second of it and brag about it when I can.
The best thing about grandmothers are the warm hugs and sweet memories. She remembers all of your accomplishments and forgets all of your mistakes.
That’s my column for this week. I’m sorry it’s not full of politics, but it’s sure full of love.
Merry Christmas!
Michael Meyers is a Columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at Michael.meyers@theaugustapress.com
