Knowing Your Heritage

Knowing Your Heritage

Heritage is defined as something that is passed down from previous generations or a status acquired by birth or a birthright.  Heritage is a part of you that defines your actions, ways of thinking, attitudes, sense of humor, looks and many other qualities that each person possesses. 

Any portion of this definition can be used by a person to refer back to someone or to themselves and where that person comes from, whether it is in a physical or spiritual capacity.  It is important that humans know exactly where their heritage lies and to understand its meaning in our lives.  For if we do not know our heritage we can never have the potential to fully understand our lives in the full capacity that we ought to have and not having this task fulfilled will leave many unanswered questions about some of the things that we do, say and believe.

I have been reading over the past few months about the increased troubles that are happening in Israel.  I know that this is not a shocking news topic but some scholars are saying that things are transpiring a bit differently in the Middle East than the normal transactions.  For instance, there are many articles being written by journalists and other concerned people about the attitudes towards Jews and non-Jews that are moving back to Israel.  According to human logic this event should not be happening since the increase of violence seems like it is increasing each day.  Modern thinking would be to leave the area and confirm that this area is a disaster and nothing can stop the violence until the Jews themselves are forced out of the land. 

What is fascinating about this return to Israel is that there are non-Jews that are following their hearts and going to Israel to live and work.  We have heard of many ethnic Jews returning from around the globe but it does make me think about the non-Jew and the reasoning for their “return” to Israel. I read an article concerning this phenomenon almost every day and it does not look like the articles and stories will stop anytime soon.

With some of the “controversial” statements made by politicians over the past few weeks, it has produced a great deal of information now being published about the history of the Middle East.  Why does it take politicians to grate the eye of the common citizen so intently that their statements are the only ones that engage our minds to find out what the history of that specific topic is about?  Why is it that we must make decisions about history in political arenas when lives are being changed due to the newly restored lands?  These people are finding their physical and / or spiritual heritages by completing this move and should be commended on acting on their faith.  Why is it so important that we understand history and know what it means to us today?  The answer is so that we can know the truth when lies are being presented to us when people are trying to grab support for a related cause.

It has been told that many Jews will return to Israel in the last days and that they will arrive from all parts of the globe.  We have seen this occurrence trickling over the past few decades but it has dramatically increased just in the past few years.  In these times of bad economic terms why isn’t the press covering these types of stories which are actually producing a growth economy in Israel?  These stories are good news and should be praised by the world….a project that is actually working.  The returning people are doing this in a legal way without controversy about borders and who should or should not be allowed into the country, everyone is arriving through legal channels.  Every article gives answers to why that person or group of individuals’ specific reasons for why they are returning to their heritage.  They are restoring themselves to their homeland and where they feel that their heart belongs.

My father was a pastor of a church in Cleveland, Texas which had a school that was associated with the church which was called Heritage Christian Academy.  At the time I had no idea what that phrase meant and to be honest I do not know if the majority of the kids attending the school knew what that phrase meant either; I would like to believe that they knew.  The statement actually means that it is a place to study your Christian lineage.  As stated above, I had no idea of what that phrase meant I just thought it was the name of the school that I went to, just as many of the hundreds of students that attended Cleveland High School.  The name of the my school should have sounded like a beacon to my ears yet being caught up in the worldly efforts of making “A” level I failed to realize that my mind and heart should have been more focused on the Christian Heritage course that I was required to complete.

There is a story that I will eventually be sharing with you concerning my adoption.  Most of you that know me on a personal level know that I was adopted when I was a baby.  It was a great day for my parents and an even greater day in the Kingdom of God.  I am not going to dwell on this topic right now but I just wanted to mention this bit of information before I get into the next subject of this message.  A couple of years ago my biological family found out about me and contacted me through some church channels; and yes, they contacted me.

Up until my biological family sought me out I had no real reason to look for them, in the past I had not displayed any desire to find them nor did I wish to meet them.  Yes I knew they were out there, mom and dad did not hide any information about them from me nor did they push me to find them, it was all in God’s timing and all of us agree with that line of reasoning.  But after I met some of my family I began to wonder about some of the traits that I had especially on the medical side of my life.  Once this information began to come forth I understood some of my physical concerns about myself and was able to piece together some unanswered questions.  The only way I could have ever known about these medical problems was to find out my heritage.

As time went along and more information poured from my family members some of the emotional aspects of my being began to surface.  It was chilling sometimes when details of how others in my family acted and portrayed themselves to the world.  I would pause in my listening to them and remember having some of those actions cross my mind or even things I did when I was younger.  Once again at that time I had no idea about my heritage or what it meant in my life but now it means more to me that I can verbally explain.  The most powerful aspect came in the form of the spiritual nature of my lineage.  I could not believe that some members of my family are pastors, most of them go to church on a regular basis but at the same time they live their lives in their own way.  The way they have grown up spiritually is similar to mine and even some of their beliefs line up with my thinking.

So, do I choose to ignore the heritage and continue to live my life as I know it or do I embrace my heritage and learn additional things about my life?  This question has raced through my mind over the past few years and I have chosen to learn as much as I can about my heritage.  Since I have made this decision and with the information that I have received, it has opened my eyes to many things.  Things that may not be pleasant but they are things that I need to be aware of when I spot them rising within me.  Also, I have found out some of my good attributes have come from my biological heritage and is complimented by my adopted heritage.  All of these are intertwined within my life and currently function under one body, which allows me to understand the biological and spiritual connections that God has with humans.

Now follow me for a bit and realize a kingdom concept of restoration.  God actually began the restoration process with man when He allowed Jesus to be born in human form.  God allowed His lineage to be intertwined with human lineage when Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit.  Both lineages were both separate yet together; the same way that my biological lineage and adopted lineage are bound together in me.  This is why restoration is an important concept in Kingdom matters and must be understood before a person can realize what actually takes place when restoration happens.

God placed His breath or spirit inside us when He created us and He made us in His image.  We were perfect in all ways possible.  With our choice to listen to the sidelines and sin entered into our lives this “perfectness” was destroyed in an instant, which is when death became our inheritance and the separation from God presented itself at the forefront of our lives.  When God chose His son to come to earth, the only way that He could fulfill His promise to restore everlasting life to man is by intertwining lineages, which God gave a signal of this development by ripping the veil of the Temple from top to bottom. 

How ingenious of God to provide a way of restoration through His own lineage and how unique it is to know that one side of our lineage is holy and pure and it runs deep into the heart of God so that it can serve as an example to our human lineage that there is a way to becomes restored into the holy and pure lineage.   This is why it is my belief that both the physical and spiritual restoration can only be done together for it to be a complete process for if one is not present the entire process becomes incomplete. 

This would explain why God said that the Jewish people would be returning to their homeland and it would also explain why non Jewish people are going back to their spiritual roots.  It is a natural process for a person to want to return to their “roots” and to find out about themselves.  You hear many kids say those words these days but if God is not involved in that process, they are barking up the wrong tree and using those words to escape their surroundings and to live the way that they wish.  It is important for all of us to remember that it does not matter who you are or where you have come from restoration is a process that can occur in your life.

To those of you that believe that there is nothing that needs to be restored in your life, you are the perfect candidates for this process.  For those of you that have been disappointed in life, you too are a perfect candidate for this process.  The people who have been lied to, bullied against, taken advantage of are also included into the candidateship.  In fact, all of us are included and need this process in our lives.  It takes time to complete but the rewards will greatly outweigh the wrongs.  No one can control the outcome of the past but you can control what is coming out now and what can come out in the future.  A new relationship not only with yourself will begin but also a new relationship with the people that you acquainted with will begin to develop.  Yes there will be some issues that arise that will not be pretty some might even be painful to realize but what better way to realize these things when God is at the head of this process.

Many people are looking for answers about their lives that no one can seem to answer.  These people need to return to their heritages and bloodlines to find out who they are and accept the things that define them as people.  Once these things begin then they can start the restoration process within themselves to once again grow and become beneficial to their world and self-being.  Restoration is not only physical but it is spiritual as well and the process will never be complete until the spiritual aspects of our beings is in line with God.  I am not approaching this topic with the eyes of man but with the spirit of God.  No, I am not trying to teach anyone to become a fanatic or obsessed with religion.  I am only giving you the option to try doing things God’s way and leaving all of man’s reasoning out of this process.  Once you allow God to take the reins of your life you will never be the same again.