SPIRITUALITY - THE FAMILY TREE

My mother-in-law used to have a family tree plaque hanging on her dining-room wall. Wood- carved acorns representing each family member hung on its branches. When her son divorced, his ex-wife’s acorn was mischievously placed “on the ground” at the base of the tree. The family jokingly explained, “She fell from the family tree.”

Have you done something that makes you feel as though you aren’t good enough to hang from the same tree as the rest of your family? Maybe you have family members who seem to suck the life from your family tree. More importantly, do you fear that you’ve fallen from the family tree of God?

Growing up, I was so ashamed of my family name that I didn’t want to hang from the same tree! I’ve spent even more years, experiencing shame from my own decisions! Yet, I’ve come to realize that even Jesus’ family tree was “less-than-perfect.” It only requires a peak into His life story to discover that Jesus’ genealogy reveals a lot of “fallen acorns.” Regardless, Jesus doesn’t shake to the ground the worm-infested relatives whom He chose or try to hide them from the world. Instead, He hangs them, even with their rotted imperfections, right where we can all see them!

Why? With all their “damaged fruit,” Jesus wants His people to know that He’s not ashamed of them. He is not bewildered by their actions nor do their family “secrets” trouble Him. In fact, “He is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11).

Whole-Heartedly,
Bonnie