Interview With My Grandma, Carol Polar
Titus 2 Interviews #1
This article is the first in a series I hope to do. The series, which I have entitled “Titus 2 Interviews,” will include interviews with women who have impacted my life for the Lord. I hope to include both women I know in real life as well as some of my favorite ladies of Substack. I pray this series will be a blessing to all!
When I was thinking of starting this series, the first person who came to mind was my grandmother. My grandma on my father’s side, Carol Polar has immensely influenced my life with Christ as I have grown up living close to her. Whether teaching a Sunday School class or babysitting my siblings and me, she has exemplified the woman described in Titus 2. I’m so excited to share this interview of her with you today!
My grandma requested that I edit her responses, rewording them to be cleaner and more cohesive. I have done my best to record her answers as close to her original words as possible, but do know this has been edited a little bit.
Melody: How long have you been a Christian?
Grandma: I’ve been a Christian for 67 years. I came to Christ at the age of 13.
Melody: How did you come to Christ?
Grandma: It’s been a long time since then, but I remember after a young people’s meeting that the pastor asked us to stay if we felt we would like to talk with him about being saved or ask him any questions. I stayed, and that was the night I came to Christ. However, within a month or so, I began to doubt my salvation. I talked with the pastor — I don’t quite remember the verses he showed me — I imagine 1 John 5:13 was one of them and John 10:27-30 — but through talking with him, I became certain of my salvation. And also within that time, I remember reading a book — I don’t know if the pastor encouraged me to or where I got it — called Know Why You Believe by Paul Little. I wish I still had it, but I don’t know where it got to.
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
1 John 5:13 KJV
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one”
John 10:27-30 KJV
Melody: One of my favorite quotes is, “The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian makes me a different kind of woman,” by Elisabeth Elliot. How have you seen this quote play out in your own life?
Grandma: Well, it changed my life because, before I had no interest in what the Bible said about being a Christian, or even being a Christian. Becoming a Christian has brought me from death to life in a way that is certainly different than the way I was before.
I am a new creature in Christ.
Before that, I went to church. But I was just there. It was the place to go. The place to be. Everyone else was there.
But becoming a Christian changed my thinking. Now, I have a desire for Him and for His Word.
Melody: What is your life verse and why?
Grandma: To tell the truth, I’ve never really had a life verse. Instead, at different stages, I’ve just had certain verses stand out to me. Like, right after accepting Christ as my Savior, John 3:16 stood out to me. But as I went on there were other chapters and verses where I would go “oh, that’s great!” Passages like John 14 about not letting your heart be troubled. Or Psalm 23. Oh, that one’s just great! And 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 about the Lord coming back and meeting Him in the air!
In the past few years, I’ve had a new favorite. I was reading in the Psalms and came across Psalm 19 and have read it many times over since. I especially like verse 14, which goes, “ Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” I’ve just really liked that verse the past few years.
So I can’t really pick just one!
Melody: The name of this blog is Roses In A Thorny World. In this name, I’ve used a rose to symbolize the way a Christian blooms in the midst of the thorns the world may give us. If you were to pick a flower to characterize your life in Christ, what would it be and why?
Grandma: You’ll get the same thing here that you got before.
You know I love flowers! And flowers bring such joy when they bloom, when they just burst forth. Like when my first Iris blooms and I’m just so excited!
There are flowers that close up at night. I don’t have any. But they go to sleep at night, and then come back in the morning. You know, like “joy comes in the morning.1”
So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that when the flower just bursts forth in bloom, it’s like the joy when we have a new life in Christ. Just a flower. Any flower!
I suppose a lot of people would pick roses. And I love roses. The fragrance is just wonderful.
Irises stink (but some other people might not think so). But they are beautiful.
Each flower has its own unique trait that brings joy. Here’s new life coming forth in the form of bloom.
Melody: Do you have any advice for young ladies wanting to grow in the Lord?
Grandma: The first thing, of course, with any Christian, but with young people especially, is to stay in God’s Word, cause that is how God speaks to you. And then to pray, because that, then, is how you talk to God.
Wait. I don’t mean at any particular time to wait. I’m just saying, don’t get ahead of God’s plan in your life by rushing into whatever you are thinking without prayer. Sometimes God does not answer our prayers immediately. We have to wait on the Lord. Don’t get ahead of God. God has a plan for your life.
You know, we all want to do God’s will. But we don’t see the whole picture; God does. So we need to have patience and pray for His timing for whatever.
Melody: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Grandma: One thing in the past couple of years I have heard is the phrase, “For Your glory and our good,” when people in our church are praying. I want to encourage others to think this way in their life. Live your life in a way so that you are giving praise and glory to God, knowing that He is good to us.
Also, going back to the life verse thing, while I don’t have a favorite verse, I remember being encouraged to memorize verses when I first came to Christ. I want to encourage you to memorize verses as well, especially when you’re young. I still have verses that return to mind because of memorizing them when I was younger. That has been a blessing and encouragement to me, and I would love to see this in others’ lives.
Also, it is easier when you are younger. I have tried memorizing verses in my later years, but it isn’t as easy as it used to be. So memorize them now.
Finally, just be faithful as Christians. Be faithful in reading God’s Word. Be faithful in being in Church, like the verse says, do not forsake the assembly2. It is not only an encouragement to others to attend, but is also an example to others who come after us. Be faithful as a Christian.
I loved doing this interview with my Grandma, and, while I don’t plan on doing this with every interview in this series, I’m going to link to my Grandma’s favorite hymn. I honestly can’t imagine not putting it in here, because it is something I always think of when thinking of her. The hymn is “It Is Well With My Soul.”
What a great interview with my sweet mother-in-law! She truly is a Proverbs 31 woman. I thank God for giving her to us! What a treasure she is!
I loved hearing your grandma's advice. Very wise woman. Great idea to do the interviews! And thank you Carol for opening up to us!