This weekend I had the opportunity to be out of town with my family. My mother and I had great conversations throughout the trip. I found out so much about myself that makes sense of why I am the person I am. Every time my mother revealed something of herself, it was almost like a mirror reflection of myself. I never had a sit down with my mom to talk about family history or any of that sort. It was not intentional that we never had a conversation, it just never came up.
I learned that my grandmother and her husband were pastors over a church in Cincinnati. The church was small and the majority of the members were family but they had an impact on the community. By the time I was born, the church was dissolved. My grandmother passed away when I was about 7 years old and my family never talked that much about her. My family only mentioned the negative but never the positive. I always wondered where my spiritual side and the urge to know God more came from. I thought that it was the fact that my mom kept us in church. We were in church about 4-5 times a week.
I begin to ponder about all this information I found out. The first idea that came across my mind is that there must be an unfinished work. I am reminded of the story of the David’s family lineage. It was Solomon’s obligation to finish something that David could not finish. We are all given an assignment and we have the choice whether or not to fulfill it. Either way, God’s Will shall be done throughout the earth. This puts a lot of things in perspective and it is helping me to know my purpose here on earth. It is too bad that I never heard or experience the new found information but things happen for a reason. The new information was revealed at a pivotal point in life. I now know that I am in my lane.
So I encourage those who do not know about their family lineage to take the time out to do so. In Deuteronomy 6:5-7 says that, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” We may have in our family a bad lineage or legacy but we have the choice to change the bad into good. Let us pray to God for strength to move from the negative to the positive.
Some may not be able to see the good in their family and do not have a role model to look at. But remember the story of Josiah who had evil all through his lineage. Being anointed king at a young age, he reversed the worshiping of idols in the land of Judah. You have the opportunity to follow in your family’s footsteps and continue on the path or form a new path.
