Family

---

PART I---OUR HERITAGE

“Mom, why do I have blue eyes and Bobby has brown eyes?” questioned Becky.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Dad, why is my skin light colored and Derek’s skin is dark?” asked Brent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brent looked at Billy, his younger brother, and wondered exactly why Billy was already 5’10” tall and Brent couldn’t grow much over 5’5”. It just didn’t seem fair but he knew that how tall you become is part of genetics. Even though his biology class had been quite detailed on the topic it just didn’t seem exactly fair..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aunt Beverly looked at me and commented, “You just look like your Uncle Dave.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To fully understand the complete range of our inheritance we have to begin at the very beginning. For what we are and how we move from the past to the present and towards the future depends on an understanding of exactly who we are.

Our heritage begins as soon as we are born. We have a genetic diagram that encodes our biological heritage determining our eye and hair color, our height, and even our sex. The chromosomal pattern from our mother and father influence what we look like. Along with the physical characteristics there is also the tendency to develop certain diseases such as diabetes or heart disease or whether we are or are not handicapped.

Our ancestry may be American, African American, Native American, German, Chinese, Philippino.or British. This cultural heritage also plays an important part in who we area and who we become. There is not one person born that doesn’t have some type of heritage derived from our parents and where we live. These traditions and customs are passed from one generation to the next and become a real integral part of who we really are.

Our whole development is a combination of many factors which all come together to make us the individual we are now. Who we become is shaped from the time of infancy to childhood and then to a teenager. As we mature in adulthood we develop a value system and our own outlook on life itself. Special talents such as being artistic or musically inclined become a part of who we are. We may have an aptitude for mechanical skills, a desire to work with animals as a veterinarian, or a longing to teach in a classroom. There are many choices that are before each one of us throughout life. How we deal with our emotions and how we care about each one influences so many relationships.

What we acquire from our family goes way beyond all that is mentioned above. We have physical types of inheritances that form an emotional network and shape our life. Cherished memories, treasured family heirlooms, and financial stability are some of the valuable inheritances we receive. Heavy medical bills from a sick parent, heavy debt load from a parent’s mismanagement of money or a legal nightmare that comes from not writing a will are things that can cause headaches and affect our mood. Whether it is a valued inheritance or something that we have trouble accepting, the fact is inevitable. We cannot escape the word inheritance as part of our life here on earth. We both receive an inheritance from others but also will pass on to our children or heirs our own inheritance that will impact their life.

Application: Psalm 27:21b “And a man is valued by what others say about him” (NKJV)

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE