“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJV)

 

 

We have a cloud of witnesses. In the Greek, cloud, is the word nephos. It is “used to describe the highest seats in the bleachers of a stadium. The seats at the very top of the stadium were called the clouds because they were so high up in the air.” (Rick Renner) This is the picture of spectators watching your life with extreme interest. Who in your life is willing to sit in the “nosebleed” section to watch all you do? Willing to pay whatever it costs just to be in the same arena and cheer you to victory!! You DO have people in your circle willing to do this!

I am a Alabama football fan. I do NOT really care where my seats in the stadium are as long as I get to be there and cheer on my team. I have sat in the end zone where all I can actually see is the crossing of the goal line or the field goal kick. I have sat in the “nosebleed” section in the top of the stadium and the players look like ants. I have never sat on the fifty yard line or in the box seats where I am protected from heat/cold, rain, and the constant distraction of people crawling over me to go to the concession stand. Why am I willing to endure this? IT IS MY TEAM! I WANT TO SUPPORT THEM! I WANT TO CHEER THEM TOWARD A CHAMPIONSHIP. Roll Tide Roll! Oh, sorry, I got a bit carried away by the atmosphere! (Auburn’s fans do the same thing!)

I love my family and friends more than Alabama sports. I want to support them in all they do in life to be all God created them to be. I am not the only person in their stadium. (Hebrews 10:25) I have had many in my stadium cheering me on from birth. These precious souls have laid the stones I walk upon. They have turned the soil of my soul and planted spiritual seeds. Others have watered and pulled the weeds. (I Corinthians 3:6-8) I want to honor them by sharing some of their stories and their impact on my life. Just the thought of these “saints” can bring tears of deep gratitude rising and spilling over the dam of my eyelids. (Psalm 116:15)

 

My head cheerleader was Mamma Mae, my maternal GRANDmother! She was the beautiful queen and I was her princess. I was royalty in her presence. Nothing but the best was mine when in her castle (a tiny, 2 bedroom, one bath clapboard house). This was a woman who had endured much in life with strength and courage. God called her home at the age of forty eight. I was only six. How do I know so much? Her daughter, (my mom), her family, friends, and church members shared with me through the years and I slowly pieced together the quilt of her life and my memories are as clear as ever. She was one of four children born to poor German-Irish (Whisenhunt-McLeod) parents in rural Alabama. She attended the State Teachers College, now the University of West Alabama.

Her best friend at college, Mary Lillian Hardy, took her home one weekend and Mae met her future husband. She was young, in love, and found herself pregnant with my mom. At the courthouse, she quietly became Nellie Mae McLeod Hardy and my mom was born at home in another rural county. My grandmother would soon learn my grandfather had a wandering eye and she would do the unthinkable of the day–divorce. My grandmother was now twice marked as “fallen from grace.” She became responsible for the entire support of herself and a young daughter. Her “plate was broken” when she got pregnant and there was no extension of grace found in her own family. Oh, she could visit but no assistance would be forthcoming. Mamma Mae remarried when my mom was a teen. S-t-r-i-k-e three! OUT? Hardly! She became active in the Methodist church teaching Sunday school and was very involved in social clubs. She never hung her head. She asked God for forgiveness, received it, and forged ahead leaving the past behind. This regal lady refused to let society define her future. Her “white house” was immaculately appointed with Duncan Fiffe furniture and she purchased her own china, crystal, and silver and entertained with the grace of a First Lady. On Sundays after church, her family was served using the “good china” and in her opinion if she “could not enjoy using these prized possessions they were not worth having.” So, this little princess learned to extend her pinkie holding a stemmed glass when she learned to hold her own cup! Our home was filled with professional photographs of her grandchildren purchased with her hard earned money. I was dressed in Feltman Brothers garments. She provided to my mom what she was unable to give herself when her own daughter was young. Sadly, she died just after my youngest sister was born and I alone have memories of her.

This witness of mine, demonstrated what it was to love lavishly, extravagantly, completely. Her love for me knew no bounds! (John 3:16) Her spiritual gifts were hospitality, teaching, kindness, and mercy. (Galatians 5:22-23) I strive to be just a little bit like her. She carried herself with grace but was never haughty or thought herself better than anyone else. (Romans 12:6-8, I Corinthians 12:4-11, 28)

When I began my job as a phlebotomist right out of high school, I went into a patient’s room one morning to collect my samples. The bossy, frail lady with flaming red hair and thin ivory skin began questioning me about “who I belonged to.” I told her the names of my parents, the church I attended, and my activities. Finally, in exasperation she said, “Who is your grandmother?” I whispered, “She died twelve years ago.” She replied, “Does she have a name?” I laughed and said, “Yes, ma’am. Her name is Mae Manderson.” Her eyes lit up and a huge smile erupted from deep within her soul. She pulled me close and stated, “Mae was my very best friend, and I thought I saw that sweet child she adored when you entered my room.” We cried together. She felt she was hugging her friend and I knew I was hugging my grandmother in her. This dear lady joined her best friend just a few days later.

My grandmother endured a challenging life, and left a deep impression on all she met. Today, she sits at the right hand of Jesus, ever watchful over me. (Ephesians 2:6) Her crystal resides in her china cabinet in my home. Her Bible is mine: not a mark in it. She believed a Bible was to be revered and handled with great care. The only notes are in the first pages where family trees were noted, or who presented the Bible to her. She would be APPALLED at the condition of my very marked up, colored, highlighted, and dog eared Word of God. She taught me to love the “king’s English” Bible for its elevated grammar that further sets it apart as a special book. I know she would be pleased I love to study God’s Word, (II Timothy 2:15) and I quote Scripture using the King James Bible. Lest you think she was perfect, let me just say, her makeup was off limits to me!!! I didn’t do that but once!

Each day as a mother and grandmother, I pray my progeny understand what it is to be loved without limits. This is the first stone laid on my path. She like no other showed me the love of Christ. A love willing to lay down even one’s own life for another. (Mark 10:45)

I thank God for my every remembrance of her. (Philippians 1:3)

Father, Lord God of Heaven,

Thank you for the gift of witnesses. Lord, may I leave the lasting impression of YOUR love in the lives of those I meet following the priceless example of a grandmother who loved Jesus first. Thank you for a Savior who saves us and gives us the strength to travel this road with courage.

Lord, may I be an imitator of Christ alone.

In the name of Jesus I pray,

My Angel, by Kelli Pickler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9B2zaL5va8

Yvonne H Jones