Family Tree - Part II

Just because pieces start falling into place doesn’t mean the puzzle is complete. I can guarantee you, as could anyone who knows me well, I am still quite the puzzle. I can hardly hang on to my proverbial ducks (they’re neurotic and ADHD), much less get them in a row. I have struggled in writing this post. There is a lot I want to say about what I have learned in the past year. Here is the thing that has struck me the most in a most timely fashion: the Old Testament heroes were remembered for their faith, not their flaws. Is it new information? No. It’s been a matter of public record for centuries and stuff I knew, but I didn’t connect. The Hebrews “Hall of Faith”, a list of the hopelessly flawed whom God called faithful. I don’t know how I’ve missed it, but I’m so thankful I know it now. That I recognize the humanity of Abraham, Jacob, and David and can identify with them. My adopted cousins and uncles whose faith allowed God to carry out His plan. Don’t stop at 11:38, keep reading, “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised because God had provided something better for us so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (vs 39-40) Did you catch that? They weren’t perfect, nor would they be apart from us . . . you . . . me.

It’s a staggering thought.

In a world that seems determined to thrive on infamy, it is mind-blowing to realize there is a history of thriving on faithfulness. In an age when the sins of the parents are the excuses for our poor choices, there exists a record of a culture focused on the things their ancestors got right. They believed God and waited for a Savior they would not see. They experienced fear, shame, trials and frustration. Realizing that, really knowing it, makes me feel less lonely. I come from a long line of frailty. Every day people whose ducks weren’t quite in a row. However, their fears did not define them, their tribulations did not deter them. God calls them faithful. God called them His, but He had something even better in mind for us—one Lamb, one sacrifice, once for all time. Because of Him, my fears will not define me and my tribulations will not deter me, even if they sometimes overwhelm me. And God calls me faithful and He calls me His. My heritage is of foreigners, con men, shepherds, prostitutes, fishermen, thieves, priests, prophets and kings. My family tree is an accumulation of intricacy, a hybrid of transplants growing from a single Root.