Over the years, when asked how Billy Graham most impacted their lives, his children and grandchildren seemed to give the same answer, but in different words: through his humility.
As we celebrate Father’s Day this weekend, we thought we’d share some of these reflections from Graham family members on their beloved father and grandfather.
“He would say, ‘It’s not me. It’s the Lord.’ Whether someone would visit him to personally thank him for the impact he has had on his or her ministry or life, or when he got the star plaque along the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, that’s what he has always said.”
—Gigi Graham, daughter
“Daddy, even though the world acclaimed him as a great man, and so many sought him for advice, would still get on his knees and humbly ask the Lord for His guidance. Through all of this we learned that seeking God was not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.”
—Anne Graham Lotz, daughter
“He is completely transparent. The Billy Graham that people see in stadiums or on television is the same Billy Graham that we see at home. There aren’t two different people. He is totally, 100 percent committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He has never wavered. He has never turned to the left or to the right from that calling that God gave to him.”
—Franklin Graham, son
“(At his age) God’s amazing grace amazes him, and that amazes me. I asked him one time, ‘How do you remain so humble?’ And this is what he said: ‘When you begin every day in the presence of the living God, when you begin every day in prayer with an open Bible, coming to God and asking Him to speak through His Word, and responding in prayer—when you start every day with God first, you don’t go through the day thinking you are big. When you come into contact with God first every day, you go through the day understanding just how small and insignificant you really are.’”
—Tullian Tchividjian, grandson
“My grandfather is not a perfect man. Most certainly, he’d be the first to admit that. But he has lived a life—a very full life, I might add—of trying to reflect the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His passion for the Gospel and his deep-seated desire to see people find hope in Jesus Christ drove him to spend decades crisscrossing the globe and selflessly proclaiming the Good News. Through it all he has maintained a humble spirit, so much so that he doesn’t even like looking at pictures of himself. He deflects any glory and redirects the focus to his Lord, Savior, and reason for living: Jesus.”
—Will Graham, grandson
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