A few years ago, after my grandparents had moved into an assisted living facility, my grandfather was diagnosed with throat cancer. Being ninety and dealing with serious health issues, he couldn’t pursue a treatment plan. My sweet yet spunky grandfather quickly began to lose his energy and zest for life. It was heartbreaking to witness. Yet through it all, he never lost his faith and ability to smile and laugh at life.

As my grandparents’ health declined, nearby family rallied to take care of their needs. On one of my visits, I realized they had not eaten because they were too tired to walk to the dining hall, despite their great love for being with people. So, I picked up a few of their favorites from Steak-n-Shake, about which they were excited.

After situating them with television trays in front of their chairs and dispersing the food, Grandpa, being true to his character, bowed his head to give thanks to God before eating.

I waited quietly.

After a few minutes, I peeked to find his head still bowed.

I waited.

The grace of humor

Now, my grandpa always blessed his food, but he wasn’t in the habit of letting his food get cold!

His prayer was much longer than normal, so I finally whispered, “Grandpa, are you ok?”

As his head slowly raised, a sly smile stretched across his tired face, and with a twinkling sense of teasing and love, he said, “Just a short nap.”

We laughed together as I expressed my concern for how long his prayer had gone on and my desire to not interfere with his talk with God. I saw his frustration at the fatigue in his body, but in the moment, he chose to embrace it with joy. And I vividly remember this brief interlude of the evening as a grace of God amid sadness over the fading of a large life that had impacted me deeply.

The gift in little things

Such simple moments become defining forces for enduring through dark times. One word. One touch. One laugh. One frozen memory held close as a comfort in loss.

A prayer turned nap grew my gratitude for the merciful strength sustained by ordinary human interactions. They are powerful in ways only God can explain. Through the grief of saying goodbye to my grandfather just a few days later, I learned the power of a joyful spirit to strengthen broken hearts.

I experienced gratitude for time well spent in the last days of another’s life.

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.

Proverbs 14:13

I was grateful for the gift of humor when nothing should have seemed funny at all. This too is a paradox of faith.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

During this time, God granted a glimpse of the surprising beauty of gratitude for faith holding fast in the face of death.

Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will proclaim your praise.

Psalm 79:13 ESV

God is so good to allow us to hold the tension between grief and joy with grace and dignity.

Yes, a simple prayer, an unexpected ‘nap,’ and my grandpa’s faithfulness to God opened a crack for joy to flood the grey, and for that memory I will always rejoice.

Meet Terri Prahl

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Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.

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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.