Why There's a Cross in Our Yard: A Grandmother's Last Gift

You might notice a large cross standing in our yard, right in front of the barn. While it might look like just a yard ornament to those passing by, it represents a story of love, legacy, and lasting direction.

It began with a simple conversation on our porch swing. I had asked my grandmother about her bucket list, and without hesitation, she said she wanted a big cross planted in the yard, right in front of the barn. That Mother's Day, we made her wish come true. At the time, I thought we were just fulfilling a simple request – a nice addition to our farm landscape. But now, I understand she was doing what she had always done: pointing us toward Jesus, ensuring we would remember where to find truth and direction long after she was gone.

You see, my grandmother knew about life's heavy burdens. Born to an alcoholic father, separated from her siblings in foster care, she carried childhood memories that could have turned her heart bitter. Instead, she chose Jesus. Through tough farming years, never ending hard work and heartbreak, she kept choosing love and forgiveness, each day trying to be a little more like Jesus.

That cross in our yard points to the greatest act of love this world has ever known. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ, perfect and blameless, chose to carry the weight of every sin, every shame, every burden we would ever bear. He was crucified not because He had to, but because His love for us was greater than the pain He would endure.

Looking back now, I see that the final gift my grandmother received wasn't just a cross – it was her gift to us, a compass. She knew there would be days when we'd feel lost, overwhelmed, or burdened. She knew we'd face our own storms and struggles. So she left us this unmistakable reminder, standing tall for all to see: here is where you can lay your burdens down. Here is where you find rest. Here is where shame loses its power. Because Jesus already carried it all.

Like most farmers wives my grandmother could somehow stretch a dinner for four into a feast for twelve, it never mattered how many showed up to eat there was always enough. Jesus's sacrifice multiplies to cover every sin, every hurt, every broken heart that comes to Him. Her cross stands as a daily reminder of this truth - His truth, providing direction even now, guiding us to the foot of the cross where grace abounds.

So if you're driving by and wondering about that cross in our yard, know that it stands there because a wise grandmother wanted to make sure her family – and everyone who passes by – would always remember where to find peace, purpose, and direction. It's her lasting legacy, pointing us to the ultimate source of love and redemption.

As we approach this Easter season, we invite you to discover what my grandmother knew so well: that at the cross, every burden can be exchanged for grace, every shame for glory, every fear for perfect love.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:28-29

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16