From Whence You Came

My teacher strongly believes in the importance of understanding your heritage. He points to the walls of his studio that are covered with myriads of signed photos displaying the legends of the violin and classical music world for the past two centuries and impresses upon his students the importance of grasping who these people were, what made them great and why we need to pass on their legacies. So much so, that he recently gave me a book about his teacher with an inscription which read: "May this book help you trace from whence you came. You are now a direct descendant of my musical father, Mr. Gingold." Understanding history in all areas of life is a treasure that is often neglected. It is important to know the past, because it is one of two major facets that shape the present and the future. It gives rise to vision, foresight and understanding the present moment. It is useful as long as information is used and not merely recounted.

I spent Memorial Day weekend with my aunt and grandparents in a tiny town that is rich with generations of family history. I learned much over this weekend while listening to stories and observing familial dynamics. One small piece of trivia I learned is that my great great grandfather was a U.S. Senator.

I was also reminded that I have always been a very determined person that sees roadblocks merely as obstacles and takes on the big, difficult things.

Why does any of this matter? I understood myself better as a result of those three days and have a clearer picture of who I am, who I want to become and how to get there. I understand why it has been harder for me to connect with some members of my family than others and was able to rejoice in a beautiful example of marriage built on Christ and love chosen for 60 years. My grandma has dementia and needs constant care, which my 89 year old grandpa gives selflessly and with great sensitivity. One day, a visitor remarked, “she is blessed to have you" to which my normally composed grandpa replied with a hint of surprise and tearyness, " I've been blessed to have her all these years."

To jump in another, yet correlated direction....

I think this same concept applies to the realm of spiritual things. What spiritual influences (principles, ideas, people, etc.)  have shaped us? What is our spiritual heritage from our ancestors in the church? What is our spiritual inheritance?  (That one is more clear cut and readily available in scripture.) As we move forward in our lives, what kind of spiritual legacy do we want to leave and how will we carry it out?