In the last few days I've certainly learned alot through all this ancestor searching. One thing is this: do your future family a favor and name your children something very unusual so it pops off the page years from now! An unusual name makes it nearly impossible to confuse you with someone else. All these folks who had the noble idea of naming a child after grandpa didn't realize what that would do to those of us down the line who were trying to sort out names! While looking through the endless entries on microfilm of New England cities, the names that really jumped off the page were ones like Patience, Thankfull, Mercy, and so on!
Do you sometimes get weary of doing good or feel that you are not accomplishing much in your life? Searching through books and endless lists of names made me suddenly realize how many lives my life will affect. I am not one to do the math and figure statistics, but trust me, after what I saw yesterday, if the Lord tarries a few hundred more years, you will be the ancestor of an UNBELIEVABLE amount of people. You have the power and potential to impact thousands of people with the way you live. Do things that are righteous and valuable and live for something beyond yourself even if it gets tiring day after day.
One prayer I often pray goes something like this, "Lord I agree with your will that none should perish. I pray that everyone in my family line from here on responds to your saving grace so that none are lost." Wouldn't that be something to accomplish? Seeing every descendent of yours from now til the Lord's return in heaven? Think about it. You can be praying for people you will never meet.
Yesterday after visiting the genealogy library, Rhiannon and I visited three different cemeteries near Berne, Indiana, where relatives from Clint's side of the family are buried. Two of the cemeteries were very small; just a little portion of ground in a farm field. In one cemetery the graves were marked mostly with wooden stakes on which the initials of the deceased were carved. In this particluar cemetery Clint's very distant grandfather (I dont' know how many great, greats!), one of the first of the family to come to America from France, is buried. I wouldn't even want to try to count the number of the descendents of this man and his wife. Many of the people in our area of Amish or Mennonite descent can trace their lineage back to this couple. When Clint traced his family tree for a high school project it returned to this man from three of his four grandparents and I trust that some of you reading this can say the same!Just another example of how one life can affect countless others in future generations. The books that list this family's decendents are unbelievably huge and printed in very small print. Trust me, we own one!
You are leaving a legacy--either good or bad. With the better records that are kept nowadays, it is highly likely that your family way down the line will have an eaiser time finding out about you than we have finding facts on our relatives. Leave them something solid and lasting. Write diaries filled with details and wisdom that the Lord gives you. Pass on the faith. Leave your children more than just the money that's left in your bank account when you die. If you are childless, try to impact other people for righteousness. There's someone who needs you and the way you live truly does matter.
I once received a baby announcement from a friend detailing their family history. At the end of the list I suddenly realized why they included this lineage. The oldest relative they were listing was an important, noted missionary in the early days of this country, doing vital work among the Indians. They had named the baby after him. These many years later, this family was living as Christians and teaching their children to live that way as well. The way you live DOES matter to alot of people, both now and in the future. Live for Jesus; press on! I leave you with Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Very inspiring!
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