Heritage of Faith

My life has been very different from most of the women in my family (maternal side). Themes and traits run through the 4 generations, similarities, but I generally am quite aware of a separation, a distance, a canyon between common ground.

Some days, however, that is bridged in a moment without even their presence.

I was hit with that feeling tonight in small group, as I have been many times in the last year- ever since the idea of heritage of faith came up in a teaching...somewhere...and then again in prayer. I am fortunate in that- though I walked away from God and faith for several years, I am part of a line of women who believe. As we sat and prayed together, someone spoke with this momentary hitch in their voice, and I was reminded so strongly of sitting, as a kid, in my great-grandmother's living room, listening to my grandma and great-grandma pray and read the Bible. I was so bored during those summer trips, and I was so uncomfortable sitting in that still hot living room with the window air conditioner, and I never understood why the two of them cried, why their voices broke, why there were great big pauses in their prayers. I never understood the weight (and the wait lol) of why we sat there. But now, I am so grateful to have that memory. I come from a line of women of powerful faith, women who know the Holy Spirit- even if I had no idea then. It is always such a gift to remember this, to know that I pray like them now-- I hope someday my belief will roll off my as theirs did/does off of them.

I have been thinking lately about the individual nature of belief in Christ, how God reveals the same things over and over to his followers as they each grow and mature, each following this same path to Him trodden by millions over the generations. It is always a new faith to each believer, to each generation. It has to be learned new, learned personally. But inheritance, earthly inheritance, can have special value too.


....and relating to art....

'Because we are denied knowledge of our history, we are deprived of standing upon each other's shoulders and building upon each other's hard earned accomplishments. Instead we are condemned to repeat what others have done before us and thus we continually reinvent the wheel.'

-Judy Chicago

Just because we each have to learn on our own doesn't mean we have to reinvent the wheel. There is so much to be gained from reflecting on our own heritage, even if we do have to do it ourselves too.