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| My grandmother. |
One thing that has brought history to life for me recently is studying my genealogy. I logged into a free two week membership last summer on Ancestry.com and was instantly drawn into my historical line. It's names and dates, yes, but these men and women share my blood! They were people that are somehow related to me, a part of who I am.
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| My Great-great-great grandmother, Wila, born in the 1700s. |
I have traced some lines back to generations and generations. Other lines only seem to go back a couple generations before I lose the paper trail and can't find where my ancestors came from. It's like a puzzle that I can't stop trying to unravel. Even once I find out who someone's parents were, I still am curious as to what they were like. That's probably the greatest struggle for any genealogist, even a novice as myself... who were these people? What were their hopes and dreams? Did they love the Lord? What happened in their lives between the date of birth and the date of death. In some cases, I can find a story here and there. In other cases, I piece together random events such as residences and military service, births of children, and death of spouses. Occasionally I find a career listed on a census record. For the most part, these names are silent.
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| My Great-Uncle Harry and Great-Grandfather Fred, an Pastor. |
I have read that most people are only remembered for two generations. That means that my grandchildren might remember me, but after that, I will be a mystery on this earth... a name with dates of birth and death. Of course, I serve Christ. I don't believe my story is lost forever, but is part of a greater story of my King and Savior. In Heaven, my story won't be lost. It will be remembered as a needed part for my King. I don't know how important my story will be, and it won't matter because I only wish my story to bring glory to Christ.
On earth, if my story helps my children and children's children to serve the Lord, then I know God will have used me. My grandmother loved and served Christ for most of her life. She left her story, written in 1992, as a book printed on printer paper and placed in a three-ring binder. I have it, am slowly putting it into a blog for others to enjoy. Her story, of growing up in the Great Depression as a child of Evangelists, has touched me greatly and showed me that her story matters, even though she probably didn't think she was doing anything great.
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| My Great-Grandmother Martha and a Great-Aunt |
I type this blog, keep a journal, and take thousands of photos because I enjoy recording my journey in this life. It might all be lost. One fire and my written record would be gone. A few keystrokes and my online life could be deleted. My pictures, after a few years, could be lost or deleted or forgotten. Will my great-great grandchildren have my picture on their wall? I doubt it. But, if they serve Jesus because their mom or dad served Jesus because, way back when, their grandmother taught her children and they taught their children... even in an age and time when serving Jesus is mocked... then my life will have value because of Christ.
Think about it... Nothing else lasts. Wealth will disappear. Stuff falls apart or rusts. After a couple generations, even our very lives are usually forgotten. Our hopes and dreams, our struggles, our homes, our education; all disappears when we die. We may leave children. We may leave a legacy of service. We may leave various things, but most won't be remembered longer than a couple generations. Only what we do for Jesus lasts.
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