A New Genealogy: Children of the Light
A New Genealogy: Children of the Light
Ephesians 5:8-10 “ . . . for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Dear Kids:
Recently there has been a growing interest in the study of genealogy. Improved technology and DNA testing has created previously unknown avenues for a person to open up the world of the past and find out more about their ancestors.
4-H Genealogy Project
For years Dad has had a great interest in his family’s history. Starting at the age of thirteen when he took a 4-H genealogy project to the county fair, his love of searching out the past has grown. He has visited different counties, graveyards, and libraries. He has talked to numerous people in order to glean any small detail related to the names and histories of those who came before him.
This is a worthwhile hobby for more than one reason. Certainly it is fascinating to discover the names of great-great-grandparents and fill them in on a family tree, but the study can also give us an insight into who we are and why we do the things we do.
Family Traits Passed To Future Generations
Family traits are often passed on from generation to generation. Not just physical characteristics, but also mannerisms and outlooks on life. This familial trend can have a positive side, but it can also have a negative side.
Negative ways of dealing with stress, thought processes about how to handle conflict, and destructive attitudes about others not like us can become rooted in our heart. These and more become part of the fabric of who we are and dictate how we respond to the world around us.
The negative effects of sin on our life could seem like a discouraging prospect. We have been born into a dark world filled with immorality, impurity, and greed. But there is great hope!
God’s Children Inherit A New Genealogy
When we accept the salvation Jesus Christ provided by His death and resurrection, we are reborn into a different family. No longer are we children of darkness, but now we are children of light in the Lord. The characteristics of this family are different than the one we were physically born into. These are goodness, righteousness, and truth.
While we will still display some of the negative effects of our past from time to time, these do not define us. God has promised to complete the work He started in us at the time of our new birth. He will teach us what pleases Him. Gradually our new self will reflect the traits of our heavenly Father more than any negative traits of our family’s genealogy.
Children of the Light
We all have a genealogical history, and today it is much easier to find out what that is. But don’t be discouraged if you recognize some of your own undesirable traits as coming from your parents. We were all born into darkness. Sin is part of our physical familial inheritance. But if, through Jesus Christ, you have been born into the family of God you now have a different genealogy and a different Father. Let your actions, attitudes, and responses to the world reveal what Ancestry.com cannot show. You are no longer a child of darkness. You are now a child of the Light.
Love,
Mama
I’ve enjoyed the research, but I have enjoyed much more being a child of God!
Praise the Lord that we can now be called Children of the Light. The old is passed away and the new has come! 🙂