It’s an amazing thing…you…me…the fact that we are even here. By all odds we shouldn’t be, you know. Life climbs the mounting centuries like a fragile thread flowing across unending years from its beginning. Wars and Famines…Disease… Calamities…are all enemies of the thread, each one capable of snapping the precious line of life. Yet, here we are.
And then there are the “begats”, New and Old Testament lineages in the scripture. What did God have in mind? Why draw our attention to the thread of life from Adam through the patriarchs? Why would the gospels delineate the thread of Jesus’ life? We each have to make up our own mind about this, but let me share my perspective before you begin to peek back over the years at those who went before us.
Just who are we, you and I? Scripture tells us that we are “God’s own handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus..” (Ephesians 2: 10), but what does that mean and what does it have to do with family history. You see, I think it’s a statement about your importance revealed in God’s design. Each of the men, women and children you are about to encounter make up the palate of your own life. Each is one of the paints the Master Designer chose in creating exactly who you are. For a visual representation of what I mean, reflect on the following views of William Zdinik’s lithograph “In His Image”. In the first you clearly see the face of Jesus bowed in prayer.
And then there are the “begats”, New and Old Testament lineages in the scripture. What did God have in mind? Why draw our attention to the thread of life from Adam through the patriarchs? Why would the gospels delineate the thread of Jesus’ life? We each have to make up our own mind about this, but let me share my perspective before you begin to peek back over the years at those who went before us.
Just who are we, you and I? Scripture tells us that we are “God’s own handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus..” (Ephesians 2: 10), but what does that mean and what does it have to do with family history. You see, I think it’s a statement about your importance revealed in God’s design. Each of the men, women and children you are about to encounter make up the palate of your own life. Each is one of the paints the Master Designer chose in creating exactly who you are. For a visual representation of what I mean, reflect on the following views of William Zdinik’s lithograph “In His Image”. In the first you clearly see the face of Jesus bowed in prayer.
The further you hold the painting from your eyes, the more distinct Christ becomes; at the same time, moving in closer the faces comprising His image begin to stand out. You now begin to discern the faces of a few individuals you might recognize historically.
Drawing closer still, it becomes easy to distinguish the individual faces of people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, Alexander Graham Bell or any one of the approximately forty-eight faces comprising the image of Christ.
Interesting metaphor? Maybe, but it’s really so much more as it reflects the truth of who you and I are. In reality we’re not a mere sum of our ancestors, yet each of their lives is intimately blended in the painting of your unique design. While I might not be special because of royalty in the brush strokes, neither am I lessened by the horse thief. As we touch these lives, it is not their accomplishments, positions or choices that determine who we are, in fact those are irrelevant. What does matter is who they were. If you look closely and listen to what God’s Spirit whispers, you will catch sight of the hues and textures that He has combined in your own unique design.
The Palate is not a family history. Those are interesting but more limiting. Rather than chase a family name or line as far back through the murkiness of history as we can, we are interested in the confluence of streams of outrageous colors, shades and forms that flowed together in creating you, the reader. Be impressed and amazed at what lengths your Creator went to design your life. Watch for patterns and themes of defining hues. You will find integrity, love of God, perseverance, compassion, courage and many, many more.
Be awed by the strength and fragility. One more death at sea, massacre, or virus that took just one more family member would have totally destroyed the painting. We wouldn’t be having this visit; you, or perhaps I, wouldn’t exist.
The lives that follow are the palate from which He painted your being. I hope it gives you an awe of life, its intricacy and beauty, and a deepened appreciation of yourself in particular. I hope you are blessed by your look backward and that it allows you to prosper as you look forward. Enjoy the palate.
Note: To make searching by family easier each of the four family lines are color coded: Armentrout (blue), Faidley (Green), Kessler (Pink), and Kissell (Orange).
The Palate is not a family history. Those are interesting but more limiting. Rather than chase a family name or line as far back through the murkiness of history as we can, we are interested in the confluence of streams of outrageous colors, shades and forms that flowed together in creating you, the reader. Be impressed and amazed at what lengths your Creator went to design your life. Watch for patterns and themes of defining hues. You will find integrity, love of God, perseverance, compassion, courage and many, many more.
Be awed by the strength and fragility. One more death at sea, massacre, or virus that took just one more family member would have totally destroyed the painting. We wouldn’t be having this visit; you, or perhaps I, wouldn’t exist.
The lives that follow are the palate from which He painted your being. I hope it gives you an awe of life, its intricacy and beauty, and a deepened appreciation of yourself in particular. I hope you are blessed by your look backward and that it allows you to prosper as you look forward. Enjoy the palate.
Note: To make searching by family easier each of the four family lines are color coded: Armentrout (blue), Faidley (Green), Kessler (Pink), and Kissell (Orange).