As I have been involved with family history over the years, I have found it to be true that across generations, people have passed down more than just names. They have shared stories, customs, spiritual wisdom and life lessons. Those are treasures – and we may not even have realized how they have impacted our lives.
As one source put it, these treasures are gifts buried beneath silence, loss, or unresolved pain. It could also be woven into joyful events and successes. As we uncover our ancestors and their stories, we may begin to uncover wisdom and lessons that are enriching and insightful for our own lives.
My mother used to tell me that her “Granny” McDonald always said to never let go of the mineral rights (referencing selling land and retaining the rights to the minerals like oil and gas). Her grandmother died when my mom was just entering her 30’s and she and my dad were barely scratching out a living cotton farming in West Texas. But that “wisdom” stayed with her.
Sure enough, it turns out that grandmother’s husband actually lived out that “wisdom” she was passing along – he bought and sold property around West Texas and retained mineral rights in several of what much later would turn out to be very productive properties. It was my generation, however, that eventually benefited from his “wisdom”. My mother passing along her memories and interactions with the McDonald ancestor was one of those small treasures which made my ancestors “real” and their “wisdom” a blessing we could appreciate and attribute to them.
Sure enough, it was that McDonald ancestor whose father has become one of my favorites to research and dig for more details of his story. His father was my great-great grandfather W. D. McDonald whose story I have shared in my blogs often (19 year old U.S. Army Cavalry fighting Indians & helping settlers travel west in 1855-60, then joining Texas Confederate Cavalry during the civil war, the last year spent in a prison). A church history I found provided me with the later profound faith story of this man who ended his long life (per his obituary) as a farmer who was also a traveling preacher. Oh, how I long to know more of his story! And his wisdom from those years.
Which brings me to Henry Blackaby’s great reminder in his devotional book on the topic of “wisdom”. He pulls from Deuteronomy 4 where Moses is reminding the Israelites that he taught them decrees and laws as God commanded. In verse 6 he emphasizes they should “Carefully follow them, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples.”
Then he takes it right to the core of the truth being taught – “wisdom is not what you know about the world but how well you know God.”
He is so right about human reasoning not making you wise, in fact, it often can lead you to reject the ways of God (1 Corinthians 1:18-25 – references the fact that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but God’s power to those being saved plus saying “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom….”)
Blackaby points out that God gives us the same opportunity to base our life on His wisdom as he gave the Israelites when He said he would bless them and the wisdom of obeying God would be evident to all. Do I really stay in touch with the fact that I have access to God’s wisdom? I know God’s Spirit is within me, but I so often “forget” that important fact. I go running off looking too much at the “Google” wisdom or worldly sources of wisdom.
Settling in and allowing God to direct my life allows me (and others) to see “true wisdom” as Blackaby points out. Wisdom not of the world but of God. Yep, I need to just settle in and allow God to direct my life providing me with true wisdom (not of the world but of God).
And the benefit he reminds me is not being confused about what to do in our complicated world, but instead being guided by God to the correct choices for me. This results not only in blessings for me but for my family, friends and others who are watching or affected.
Sounds simple when Blackaby states it – “Your obedient life will demonstrate the wisdom of allowing the Holy Spirit to be your Guide.”
I know it is true, and I can ferret it out in some of my ancestors’ lives (which is so exciting when I discover such). And now I am convicted that I need to lay down some specific wisdom guideposts in my family history story of my own life. How about you? Let’s bless our descendants!
