Many years ago, my 7th grade Texas History teacher assigned a genealogy project. I still remember taking my little pedigree form to my grandparent's homes and talking with them about who their parents were and where they came from. I learned much about the history of my family and it was just enough to whet my appetite for a personal interest in family history.
Then, again in grad school I had another genealogy-type project (a genogram), only this time we were to examine the relationships between family members and any observable patterns. The patterns could be positive or negative: divorce, substance abuse, unhealthy relationships, mental illness, religious affiliation, education, occupation, etc. Our genogram only had to go back to our great-grandparent's generation; however, my professor said that to get a true understanding of the impact of your ancestors and family patterns, you would need to go back ten generations. Ten generations! That is somewhere close to 300 years! In other words, my 8th great-grandparents (gone for hundreds of years) still influence the world today through my life (and all my distant cousins).
I wonder if my ancestors thought of the hundreds of descendants that would one day worship in freedom when they fled persecution on the "German Mayflower"? Or if they thought of the kind of world they wanted to leave for future generations when they signed the first formal protest of slavery in the American colonies? Did they realize that their passion for serving God and standing against injustice would be passions dear to family members they could never hope to meet?
And what of myself? When I live my life, directly influencing the next generation as a mother and later as a grandmother, am I conscious of the 10th generation? 300 years from now will my descendants reap the blessings of a life faithfully lived to the glory of God? Will the ripple effects of my life, like a stone in a still pond, bring hope to the future generations?
In reality, my great-grandchildren in 2315 my never know my name, and that is okay, so long as they know the name of Jesus Christ. They many never my birth date, so long as they celebrate His birth. They may never know why I died, so long as they know why He died.
It is my prayer that the promise of Deuteronomy 7:9 be true for my children, my children's children, on to the 10th generation. "He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments."
As C.H. Spurgeon once said, "Make our children thy children. Let the blessing flow on to future generations, and as long as any of our race remains on earth may they remain true to thee. O Lord God let the house of they servant be blessed."
May we all live our lives to the glory of God with the 10th generation in mind.
Then, again in grad school I had another genealogy-type project (a genogram), only this time we were to examine the relationships between family members and any observable patterns. The patterns could be positive or negative: divorce, substance abuse, unhealthy relationships, mental illness, religious affiliation, education, occupation, etc. Our genogram only had to go back to our great-grandparent's generation; however, my professor said that to get a true understanding of the impact of your ancestors and family patterns, you would need to go back ten generations. Ten generations! That is somewhere close to 300 years! In other words, my 8th great-grandparents (gone for hundreds of years) still influence the world today through my life (and all my distant cousins).
I wonder if my ancestors thought of the hundreds of descendants that would one day worship in freedom when they fled persecution on the "German Mayflower"? Or if they thought of the kind of world they wanted to leave for future generations when they signed the first formal protest of slavery in the American colonies? Did they realize that their passion for serving God and standing against injustice would be passions dear to family members they could never hope to meet?
And what of myself? When I live my life, directly influencing the next generation as a mother and later as a grandmother, am I conscious of the 10th generation? 300 years from now will my descendants reap the blessings of a life faithfully lived to the glory of God? Will the ripple effects of my life, like a stone in a still pond, bring hope to the future generations?
In reality, my great-grandchildren in 2315 my never know my name, and that is okay, so long as they know the name of Jesus Christ. They many never my birth date, so long as they celebrate His birth. They may never know why I died, so long as they know why He died.
It is my prayer that the promise of Deuteronomy 7:9 be true for my children, my children's children, on to the 10th generation. "He is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments."
As C.H. Spurgeon once said, "Make our children thy children. Let the blessing flow on to future generations, and as long as any of our race remains on earth may they remain true to thee. O Lord God let the house of they servant be blessed."
May we all live our lives to the glory of God with the 10th generation in mind.
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