Think of the goods or brands that were introduced to you at an early age that bring good memories and/or influence your decisions today. Along with this, think of the people whom you associate with these brands and reasons why. Some examples for me:
- Cashews, Michigan football, Titleist and Windex are all products/brands I associate with my dad. Ok, Windex might seem strange but he is a big proponent of clean windows and passed that appreciation on to me.
- Rare beef, Yum Yums cookies (they were like Girl Scout “Samoas”), Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough, and Kitchenaid remind me of my mom. Definitely a food theme here but we were (and are) a fun food family! My mom inspired my love for culinary creativity, going beyond recipes and enjoying the process as well as the result.
- Vernors soda, Orange Fanta, and anything Pepperidge Farm remind me of my grandparents.
Those are some of the products, brands, or memories of my ancestors.
Going Deeper
Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. (Deuteronomy 26:7)
Who is the God of your ancestors? What are the spiritual traditions or values of your family or dear friends from growing up? Whether Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, Hindu, Atheist or Agnostic, we’ve all been in shaped or influenced in some capacity.
For our family, my mom has been our spiritual rock. Her faith in God has been firm for as long as I can remember. You’ve probably not seen her baptizing anyone or speaking in front of big crowds, but if you’ve met her, you know without a doubt that she loves the Lord and her faith is pure. She’s a one on one or small group prayer warrior, always making the most of every opportunity.
From my mom’s witness she has influenced my father, my sisters, me, and countless other people. This influence has become exponential as my siblings and I have Christian spouses and are doing our best to raise our children with Christ at the center of our home as well as to witness the name of Jesus to others. Prayerfully I write to you today (thank you for reading) with the hope that the words on this page provide some enrichment to your spiritual journey pointing to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The Israelites knew the “God of their ancestors” as the stories, values and traditions of the one true living God had been passed on from generation to generation. While they (and us still today) sinned and turned away from God, He was (and is) still God.
Notice in the aforementioned verse that they trusted to cry out to him, and he was as faithful then as as he is now to hear and see our misery, toil and oppression. And he is not just one who sees and hears, we learn in the next verse that he acts:
So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. (Deuteronomy 26:7)
Father God, we cry out to you today. Thank you for being a God who sees, listens and acts. You know our pain, you know our hearts, you know our weaknesses, you know our sins. Forgive us, have mercy on us. Rescue us. Bring us out of our metaphorical Egypt. Open our hearts and minds to see you in not just our struggles but in our joy. Thank you for this day, thank you for your word in the Bible, thank you for peace that comes as we slow down and take shelter. Thank you for being our true shelter. You are the God of our ancestors, may we put you in your rightful place today and every day. In the name of your son Jesus. Amen.