As a child I was extremely fascinated by my biological kinship.  I saw my great grandfather´s name everywhere, for every household ate every day his special bread product and still does. .  “Think of that”, I often reminded myself.  “We´re in family!”

When Christ became my Savior I got a new family.  In my old family there wasn´t only a known family name, but also a lot of inherited frailties.   It flourished with manic-depressive cases on my mother´s side.  I felt more and more “lost”, o God, is this really my portion in life too?

However, the good and never failing Shepherd  pointed me to a better and happier heritage.  He led me to 1 Pet.1:18-19 that has over the years been my watchword.  It speaks about being redeemed from a life “inherited by your forefathers”.  I grasped it by faith as it focused especially on the word “inherited”.  I was redeemed from my old heritage on the virtue of “the precious blood of Christ”.  Dared I really count on that and be happy?

I like to look at other believers as my true family.  It sometimes frustrates me, however, to see good Christians so biased towards their biological family that there´s little heart for their true family, not to speak of a passion for winning the lost for Christ.  Some are so taken up with their genealogy that it has sometimes come into fashion to arrange big family reunions with the sole purpose of slobbering over their “interesting” genealogy.  Doesn´it border on idolatry?

Don´t get me wrong.  I don´t despise my earthly kinship.  I gladly meet with relatives everywhere but primarily to share with them what the redemption in Christ means to me in my relationship to my true family – in Denmark and widely outside our borders.

I once asked the godly widow of my grandfather (his second wife), “Do you think I go overboard on applying 1 Pet. 1:18-19 to myself as my charter of spiritual freedom?”  She smiled, “No, stick to it, this is the right thing for you to do!”

I have no other choice.  In fact, it became my happy choice by God´s grace!

Oct. 11, 2012 – jn