Family, Yes… Important

Have you ever considered your family?

When I was growing up, a portion of my family would have a reunion, and it seemed there were over 400 in attendance, yet our family Christmas (paternal or maternal) might include only 25-40 or so. Still, as I aged, we sat down at the dinner table each day with just 6 in attendance. Then, married life introduced a new surrounding of folks we call family.

Regardless of the side of the ancestry tree you stand on, you have a wide frame of potential family that is difficult to absorb.

My immediate family was relatively small, and the expanded group could contain hundreds…maybe even thousands. As I age, my own connection to my bride expanded my family connections to include my in-laws and their expanded groupings. Bring some children into the world, and they marry, and suddenly, my family grouping expands even again.

If we assume the bible to be accurate, then consider that this process has happened since the dawn of time – we all find our familial roots back to the very beginning of humanity. Whether it be Adam or even Noah after the Ark, we find our roots historically in the past of the larger family of the earth.

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. (Genesis 5:1-2 NKJV)

This could mean that every single person around the world, across the country, and on every continent is related to us. Yet, I do not know them – their origins, culture, or language. We are all as varied as the continent, region, or language grouping in which we were raised. Yet we are connected.

We often narrow our family group back to a point in time where we know someone by name or position. From that point or person, forward, we can document our family like a slice of pie out of the whole. We do not see the connection around us, because we’ve narrowed our world. Considerably.

When traveling in Jordan a few years back, this young boy was visiting the same historical place of Petra, just like my group. I wondered where he was from. His family. Language. Country. Culture. He may not be part of my immediate family, but we are both part of the larger family picture of this earth. Or, even this merchant headed off to his morning duties in the canyon where Petra is located.

At some point, we narrowed our focus just to those who were in our grouping by society, culture, region, or familial connection. We corral those loose ends that expand our family bounds and draw them end to a small subset of the possibility. Even Jesus did this…

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”  (Matthew 12:46-50 NKJV)

For those who fit our focus, we call them family. I have my church family. In the past, it was my work family. My school family is spread through a number of locations between Texas, Alaska, Washington, and even California. Play a team sport, and you call them your family. Become part of a group of people, and they become part of your family.

Here’s the one thing I thought this morning.

Which family grouping is the most important to me?

My immediate family is my first focus. My wife. Kids. Parents. Siblings. Aunts. Uncles. Cousins. Nieces. Nephews. That expands outward to include in-laws and ex-laws. Once a family member, always a family member, even if you become an outlaw! In my circle of family, I know there are literally hundreds of members! Well. Ancestry research has opened that number to something beyond counting on my fingers and toes! From the paternal side to the maternal side, and at each junction of the tree, the branches and roots spread further. Simply huge!

Does it mean I know them all? No. But it does mean I can track my genealogy with this immediate focus. How far back do I go? I remember both sets of grandparents and have a vague memory of my great-grandparents, and if I listen closely, I hear my elders naming the family they knew in their younger years. My mom started the research via online tools and has gone back a goodly distance. It’s an exciting adventure to read my past! My family.

My next focus is my spiritual family. It contains my local church, the church we pioneered in Alaska, and all the churches we’ve been a part of in the past. This is an even bigger family! As we move further afield I enjoy following these earlier representations of my spiritual life.

Another family focus is those that I’ve had some connection with in the past, either by city, state, or life experiences. One view is they are part of the family that existed at the time I lived, worked, or studied with, but as I make new acquaintances from the same neck of the woods, I easily add them to the same grouping.

One last thought. We continue our family experiences from one generation to the next. As a young person sitting around a campfire, I remember my folks telling stories about their younger days and historical family members I never knew. I yearn to share my family knowledge with the next generation. That’s what keeps families growing and going!