The hands of my great-grandmother - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.
2 Timothy 1:5

The hands of my great-grandmother
The memories of my great-grandmother from my early childhood are unfortunately quite sparse. Her apartment was small and dark. A cast-iron stove, which served both for heating and cooking, was at the centre of the last period of her life. What I can remember quite well, however, is her kind and gracious face and also her hands, which fascinated me as a child because of their many wrinkles.

In the last years of her life, great-grandmother often sat in her chair near the stove with her hands folded. How much would those hands have worked, helped, stirred, mended, cleaned, washed, caressed – and prayed over the years!

In the end, her eyesight was so weak that she could no longer do much. But she prayed all the more as a result. How many prayers she would have said for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren! And surely it is also a result of these prayers that so many of her descendants have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. For me, the friendly face and wrinkled hands of my believing great-grandmother are a great and lasting encouragement, because they show me clearly that a life in the hand of God is meaningful, deeply gratifying and worthwhile.

Today’s reading: Genesis 28:1-22 · Psalms 14:1-7