History

History

Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the LORD.

WE HAD A GENEALOGIST RESEARCH our family last year. I already knew bits and pieces of lore passed down from grandparents and aunts but was eager to have a professional find out more.

One of the most interesting stories the genealogist uncovered was about an ancestor, John M., who came over during the Revolutionary War from Brandenburg, Prussia, as a mercenary soldier for the British Army. Once he reached these shores, John defected to the Patriots and served in the 10th Regiment of Virginia. His pension application named lots of officers of the Revolutionary War, including Generals Francis Marion (famously known as the Swamp Fox) and Horatio Gates, who received 17,500 acres of military bounty land. John even lived on General Gates’s land for four years before moving to Pennsylvania, where he married a Native American woman and had nine children. Although unconfirmed, there is a tantalizing rumor that during the war she served as a spy.

While I found that piece of family history fascinating, it caused me to wonder what others will say about my own life someday. Stories are important—not just because they are part of history in general but because they are part of our history. The stories we believe about ourselves shape the way we interact with the world and those around us. When we hear stories repeated again and again, we believe they are true, and they become part of us.

Years from now when we reflect back on our own life, will the story our life tells be part of the history of Jesus, reflecting his grace and mercy? As children of God, let’s mirror our spiritual heritage by being people who rise and end each day singing God’s praises and telling the story of how he has loved us so well. May our lives become one more small story in the history of God’s faithfulness.

Lord, thank you for the history of your faithful love that’s been passed on to us. Help us to recognize it and reflect it in our own lives. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: What stories do you tell others that will one day contribute to the history of faith? Spend time considering what you convey through your actions and words.