Jesus Loves You Too!

Grandma Ruth’s passing was going on two years now.  Michael remembered all the times, good and bad, that he’d had with his grandma.  When he had reached his teenage years, he didn’t think he needed to go to church anymore.  “You’re forcing religion down my throat,” he remembered saying to her one day.

His grandma never stopped praying for him though.  He thought back to when she had told him, “I pray for you every day, Michael.”  Michael also treasured every text (followed with a heart and smiley face) she ever sent him.  In each one she would remind him saying, “’I love you, but Jesus loves you more.’” She didn’t know it, but God had used those text messages at just the right time.  All the trips to the ER, from the age of three to eighteen, she was always there.

As Michael remembered how sad she was, when grandpa passed away, it brought a tear to his eye.  She had done so much for him throughout the 38 years their grandparents were married.  “Grandma I don’t know how you could be so forgiving of grandpa, when he was so verbally cruel.”  She would reply, “Jesus forgave him way before I ever did.  Plus, in God’s Word, this is one of His commandments (Matthew 6:15).  We are to forgive one another, as His believers.  He also tells us, if we won’t forgive others, His Father will not forgive us either.”

To even think of such a gift that God would be willing to give us.  Me, even.  After I had turned my back on Him, how could He still forgive me?  I soon remembered the Prodigal Son story in the Bible.  She always told me how this was exactly how God felt about us, even when we rebelled and came back to Him.  I could remember, as if it were yesterday, how she would eagerly share this story of God’s love.

As I continued to go through her belongings, after her passing, a small cedar jewelry box caught my eye.  I remembered giving it to her for all her keepsakes (she loved collecting trinkets throughout the years).  As I opened the box, I saw stacks of letters (still in their envelopes).  They had “To: Michael X. Cantu.”  I thought it was a little formal for such an arrangement.  I knew they were from grandma, because of the usual handwritten heart and smiley face next to my name.

As Michael sat down on the edge of her bed, he looked across the room and saw the old rocking chair she loved to sit in.  He thought-what an appropriate place to read these newfound treasures but in her rocking chair.  Moving to the chair, it gave him a sense of closeness to her once again.

Each letter had the date written on the back of the envelope.  There were about twenty letters in all.  Sitting in unbelief at the amount of time she must’ve put into them- tears began to well up in both Michael’s eyes.

Reading through each one, brought back memories as if it had just happened yesterday.  Michael, with each written word, painted a picture of each experience they had together.  As he reached the last letter, his heart was deeply touched by her remaining words:

Michael,
I’m hoping that these heartfelt letters have not only brought you joy and sadness, but have softened your hardened heart toward God, the Creator of our universe.  Please don’t waste your time on decisions that don’t have eternal value.  My dear, you know Jesus never stopped loving you and I didn’t either.  As you come back to Him and renew your walk with Jesus, it will be the most important decision you’ll ever make.”

Now I know why she had written on the back: “Jesus will never stop loving you and I won’t either.”

Romans 8:38-39   For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.