Daily Devotional #1,614

I loved hearing the story of the first time I traveled back to Texas to see my Grandmother Pettit. I was the first  of her three grandchildren and on that trip, we arrived after dark and the porch light was on while my  grandmother was waiting for us to arrive. My grandmother had told my mom that she always wanted to be  called “Mother Pettit” if she ever had any grandchildren. I think that she felt the title “grandmother” made her  feel older than she wanted. My grandmother had seen me as an infant, but now I was a walking, talking kid!  My folks thought it would be a cute idea to send me up to the door and have her open it and see little old me  standing there. I’m sure I had no memory of my grandmother, but they had told me what a wonderful person  she was and how she loved me from the moment I was born. I knocked on the door, she opened it up and I  blurted out “I know who you are…you’re Grandma Pettit”. She told me later that from that moment on, she  never wanted to be called anything else but “Grandma Pettit”. I loved her before I had any memory of ever  seeing her…and she loved me…and would be to all of us our Grandma Pettit. You and I have not seen Jesus  face to face. And you probably won’t see him today that way. But you love him if you have received his love  and kindness and forgiveness and you will be looking forward to the day when you might be pounding on  heaven’s door and when it opens, you’ll get to say “I know who you are! You’re the Jesus who died in my place  so I could be with you forever!” And what a welcome you’ll get from one who has loved you since birth. And  when that happens look in the crowd…there will be a lady somewhere by him who still goes by the name of  “Grandma Pettit”. Here’s our Bible verse for today…  
1 Peter 1:8-9 CEV You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love him and have faith  in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy (9) you are to be saved. That's why you have faith.