Christian Family Reunion

Today I am in Williston, North Dakota for a family reunion.  Because this reunion is for my wife's family, I find myself in a situation that lends itself to observation and contemplation.  Four generations of family are gathered together for the purpose of reconnection and recollection.  To be sure, the focus on reminiscence centers on the value of heritage and it brings to mind the importance of remembering the generations past.

Biblically speaking, the concept of heritage and ancestry is one of those pivotal but oft-neglected pieces of the biblical world.  For instance, most of the Old Testament deals with ancestry.  From Adam through the Patriarchs and the kings, ancestry is important.  There are a couple of reasons that understanding lineage is a good and necessary thing for every human being to delve into.

The first is for the value of information.  Having an understanding of our ancestors can go a long way in explaining ourselves. Everything from biology to intelligence to spirituality can be traced through our ancestry.  Our society values health history when making medical decisions.  We should also value heart history when dealing with spiritual decisions too.  maybe if we valued it more, we would not keep making the same mistakes from generation to generation.

Another reason that we should study our past is for the value it has in teaching.  Consider the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews.  The writer spends a considerable amount of literary real estate using the great persons of the past to explain faith and belief.  This should prompt us to look to those great figures of history as inspiration, for we are related through Jesus to all Christians past.  Let us never forget that reality.

When we read the Bible or the writings of great past Christians or even when we spend time learning about our own biological ancestry, we should take to heart the value that those who have come and gone before can have in directing, guiding, and inspiring our lives.  Let us then take the time to consider our pasts so as to be informed about our presents and to be inspired for our futures!