Ruth 4: Faithful Heritage

"So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. Then he went to her, and the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son...  And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David."

Ruth 4:13,17 (NIV)

God takes pride in his people. The Bible traces long lines of faithful people--from Adam to Jesus. It makes me wonder when and why we stopped caring about our heritage?

People are proud of their money... their possessions. They may be proud if they have a close relative or friend who is/was a celebrity. Why is it that we are not proud of the Christian heritage in our lives? It is something we should be truly grateful for! After all, a Christian heritage---the faithfulness of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on--is one of the greatest gifts God could have given us in encouraging our first steps towards Salvation. 

Now, having a Christian family doesn't guarantee a child will become a Christian... nor does coming from a non-Christian family guarantee a child won't become a Christian. However, having a heritage of Christian faithfulness certainly puts a child on the right track to Salvation. A heritage of faithfulness is an eternal legacy. It is worth more than a prestigious surname or a hefty inheritance. A family that has stored up mountains of heavenly riches has something worth more admiration than those with earthly riches or fame! 

I often fall into the trap of feeling proud of the things I accomplish. I become prideful and puffed up over my accomplishments, my success, my awards and accolades. But, really, what does all that really matter in the grand scheme of things? I should be cherishing my parents who always pointed me towards God and tried to live as daily examples of Christian faithfulness. My grandparents who live and have lived Godly lives in pursuit of God's will. All my relatives before them who pursued God, lived their lives as Christian examples and raised their children to do the same. Without this heritage of faithfulness, I have no idea where I would be. I thank God for my heritage. Not out of selfish pride, but out of humble gratitude.

But what of those who do not have a long line of Christian relatives? Well, every legacy, every heritage has to start somewhere. I am hoping that my heritage does not end with me. It is my utmost goal to continue the legacy of faithfulness. To live as an example of faithfulness. To guide my future children to God and to pray that they continue onward in faithfulness after I've gone. We each have a Christian heritage to either uphold or begin. 

Like an Olympic torch relay, we each carry a Light through our lives to pass onto the next generation. If there have been many before us, we can thank God for blessing us with a momentum set by the previous generations. If we are first, we can thank God for blessing us with the opportunity to begin the race; to have the honour of lighting the first torch to hand off to the next generation.