Tucking away Wisdom

My first memory of tucking away a principle of wisdom from an older woman in my life happened one afternoon on my Grammie’s couch. I asked her, “Grammie, who is your best friend?”

She immediately said, “Jesus.” A man I couldn’t see was not the answer I was looking for in my young faith, where the term “best friend” adorned the girl I played with most on the playground on any given day.

I responded, “Yes, but after Jesus?”

Grammie immediately responded, “Papa.”

Again, this response did not satisfy what I was looking for, so I asked again, “Yes, but after that?”

Without hesitation, she answered, “your mom.” And with that answer, I stopped asking questions. At that moment, a list of priorities was gifted to me. I learned that Jesus was a better friend than anyone here on earth. I knew that my future husband was the greatest relational treasure in this world. And I learned the priority of my family. It was simple and wise.

My Grammie was a woman full of joy and LAUGHTER. As a tiny girl, I remember thinking, “Grammie thinks everything is funny!” As I grew, I appreciated this rare quality more than almost anything. Everyone loved to be around my Grammie. Everyone. Her laughter was infectious, and her embodiment of a “gentle and quiet spirit” literally brought Jesus into every room she entered.

She gained wisdom as a woman who lived through The Depression and World War 2. She knew exhaustion and disappointment through difficulties in childbirth and being a working mother. For decades, she learned the joy of quiet faithfulness by teaching the children’s Sunday school class every week. She sought wisdom from on high while sitting with her husband at the kitchen table over coffee, the Bible, and prayer each morning. It was her over 84 years of life that gave weight to her words when she said, “It’s going to be alright.” She knew that her Savior, now my Savior is indeed faithful. This tested faith gives faith to me, a younger woman, to press on towards the prize: Christ Jesus, Grammie’s best friend.

~Karna Atkinson

Philippians 3:12-14