My grandfather passed away today. I have many fond memories with him—from his adventurous tales to stories of helping church leaders with exorcisms in our area. We grew up around those stories. I believe he was a faithful and godly man.
However, in his younger days, he sold all his property and made some destructive choices. This forced his eldest son—my dad—to give up his own dreams. He had a difficult childhood, was mocked by friends and neighbors, and ultimately had to join the military to repay the massive debts left behind. Imagine a young Malayalee guy heading alone to northern India at just 17 or 18, all to carry the weight of his dad's choices.
Would I have done that? Honestly, no.
Back then, my dad didn’t like my grandfather very much—understandably so. Neither he nor others ever acknowledged what my dad sacrificed. Yet, he did what needed to be done, regardless of how others treated him. That heavy burden led to anger issues, drinking, and the kind of silent suffering we often overlook, to the point of dying. I once heard from his aunt that my dad used to be a sweet and kind person before joining the military. But life’s hardships changed him.
Still, he pressed on, even though he wasn’t a believer at the time.
Looking back now, it’s clear that God, in His grace, used all that pain and suffering to lead my dad to Christ—somewhere around 2017-18. That’s when he began sharing Christ with me. I was always active in church as an altar boy, but that was when I truly began taking my faith seriously. I began to know Jesus personally. If my dad had not converted bruh I'm not sure where I would be, would I even be alive lol. This group wouldn't be here definitely.
The story of my dad and grandfather is the clearest picture I’ve seen of Romans 8:28 in action—God working all things together for good. My dad came to Christ. How did it work with my grandpa?
As my dad grew spiritually, he began to preach Christ and mend his relationship with my grandfather, who by then had several health issues. It’s never easy to let go of the past and draw close to someone who’s hurt you. But my dad had one goal: to help his father find salvation.
He preached to him, gave him hope in eternity, and encouraged him with devotional songs over the past few months. He even brought people to the hospital—people with whom my grandfather had unresolved issues—and helped mediate reconciliation and forgiveness. My grandfather let go of those burdens. It brought peace. I even saw a video my mom sent of my dad gently shaving my grandfather’s beard, and it moved me to tears.
This is the kind of transformation Christ brings—when He changes a man who was once resented by his own family, who continued to serve them even when no one appreciated his efforts. A man who battled anger, especially toward his father, and faced criticism for becoming “too spiritual” or “too holy” after coming to faith. And yet, despite all of that (I have mentioned only a few of his hardships, some of my friends know the full story), I now see him gently shaving my grandfather’s beard, caring for him with deep love and attention, tending to every need with quiet devotion. I could see Christ washing the feet of his disciples in him.
In the end, I believe only my dad and I were truly concerned about my grandfather’s salvation.
My dad told me that my grandfather passed away peacefully. I could hear the sadness in his voice—something rare from a tough military man. I imagine his mind was flooded with memories of his childhood, of past conversations, and most of all, that lingering question: Was my father saved? Will he see him again in eternity? He believes he will—but of course, we don’t know for certain. We hope, and we pray, that Romans 8:28 applies here too—that all things worked together for my grandpa's good, if he truly loved the Lord.
This is the reality we face, brothers and sisters—as time passes, more of our loved ones will cross over to eternity, few to eternal life, many to eternal damnation.
That’s why it’s so important to preach the Gospel to our families now, not wait for the “perfect” moment.
Do you truly love your family? If you haven’t shared the Gospel with them, then your love is still of this world, not from above. Do you really love them? You “hope” to see them in eternity—but hope without assurance is a dangerous place to be. Some of us don’t even have assurance of our own salvation. Understand them reading the Bible daily, going to church daily is not salvation! Their personal relationship with Christ and others is what matters.
Christ is a righteous judge.
So today, let’s resolve to love our families and friends enough to share the Gospel with them. Let’s encourage them to live holy lives before it’s too late.
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