I was born to teenage parents and raised by my grandparents. While in the 3rd grade my Grandmother passed and from then on it was just me and my Grandfather. He didn’t have a vast amount of formal education. I’m not even sure he had a high school diploma.
Based on this scenario most people counted me out and placed artificial limits on what I could accomplish. But my Grandfather saw greatness in me. What he may have lacked in formal education, God made up for it by blessing him with wisdom. He was my Solomon!
He sowed into my life and surrounded me with seasoned men of God who cheered me on: deacons and church trustees who supported the vision God had given him regarding my future. They would often ask how school was going and offer me a $1 for every “A” I received on my report card.
My Grandfather always made sure I made it to Sunday school, participated in the youth choir and any other activities the Church had going on. As a church trustee, he would bring me along to church business meetings. I would sit in the corner working on my homework while they discussed the budget and building project. I wasn’t always the most cooperative child, and was pretty mischievous at times, but my Grandfather had tremendous patience.
Proverbs 22:6 states: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. My Grandfather believed in this whole heartedly! God honored his commitment to raising me to honor and reverence the Lord and blessed me not only spiritually but in my career as well. I went from being the little country boy gathering eggs out of the chicken coup to a becoming a commissioned officer in the armed forces.
My Grandfather passed shortly after I completed Officer Candidate School. A young officer with a wife and child, I had to go forth without my “Solomon”. I had several missteps, but eventually learned to truly seek God for myself. As I grew in Christ, I had encounter with Him on a Friday afternoon in the summer of 2003. While in noon day prayer the Lord spoke to me and told me as long as I stay in His will, I would never have to worry about my career. I had never heard His voice so clearly before, but from that day forward I entered into a covenant with Him that has taken me through the last 20 years of service to both the kingdom of God and to this nation. He elevated me in my career to a Senior Officer and in the ministry as an ordained Elder.
I often reflect on my young formative years and the foundation my Grandfather laid. And I continue to thank God for the selflessness and sacrifices my Grandfather made to set me on path where God would get all the glory out of my life!