Have you ever thought about your lineage? Have you imagined the people you came from? How did they arrive in America? Where did they settle? Were they farmers? Business owners? Factory or railroad workers? What challenges, hardships and losses did they battle through?
What did they look like? Do you have their eyes, same color hair, their build or backbone? Have you benefitted from their dreams or hard work? Did they fall in love, sing when their heart was breaking , laugh until tears streamed down their face? Try to picture them. Do you think they pictured you?
As Christians, we not only have our natural geneology, but also our spiritual family of faith. We can claim lineage with all who believed--from the Christian family around us today way back to the apostles and early Christians, and even further to David, Joshua, Moses, Abraham and Sarah--all who lived by faith.
I love how Hebrews 11 tells us we're surrounded by them--by a "great cloud of witnesses." Their same bloodline flows through us, one faith, one hope. We hear of their stories, their endurance, their faithfulness against the odds . . . We then consider our own. We pick ourselves up by their example. They carried on and so will we.
Good things can still happen. And if not in this life time, then in the next, for our future is in heaven and our legacy is left here on earth for our descendents. Someday a grand-daughter, or a great-great-great grand-daughter or niece, or friend of a friend's daughter will be widowed and come across our stories. A song entitled "Generations," by Sara Groves sums it up like this: "Generations will reap what I sow . . . I can pass on a curse or a blessing to those I will never know." She ends it with singing to her great-great-great grandchildren to "live in peace."
That's why we tell our stories. So others will live in peace. We're all connected and hope never dies. So Wednesdays feature widows' stories--maybe even your's! Volunteer your story or the story of someone you know whether they be current friend or family legend. Please email me at WCPlace@gmail.com so I can give you some guidelines that will fit this blog. Thanks!
♥ ferree
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
2 comments:
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I wonder if this is why God told the Israelites to plant, grow
ReplyDeleteand do good when they were placed in exile in Babylon, they were
in much grief but God told them to do good. Daniel
did good when he was placed in exile / Joseph did good where the Lord
had exiled him in Egypt. In spite of his devastating circumstances the
children of Israel reaped the blessings of Joseph's wise planting.
We sometimes forget that other's will reap from the good or bad
choices we make today. God's promises are true for a thousand
generations.
I am graciously living off a small life insurance policy my husband
made be pay (faithfully) each month for the past 30 years.
Thank You Lord for his vision of wise planting that
my family have so graciously reaped.
Grateful
Those are fascinating insights about ancient Israel and you've given me such good food for thought. But not only that, we can use their example to wisely work good things into our lives today that will benefit and bless the future. That's a remarkable privilege and challenge that God offers us! Thank you for sharing!
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