Genealogy and Spiritual Genes;)

The following devotional reading struck a chord... "We are God’s children and He has given us everything we need to be His hands and feet to those who are suffering around us. We become more like God when we engage our hearts with His, and we begin to care about who He cares about. When we follow in His footsteps, our life could get a little out of the ordinary, but isn’t that what being a Christian is all about?" No, it was nothing new, but I had a moment of realization in the midst of the familiar. Last night I was doing genealogical research. In the past couple of days new information has been made available in data base search engines that I've been waiting on. I was able to finally take two different branches of the hubby's family tree back around 1075. One branch from his fathers tree, and one from his mother. I have always felt his lineage had to be extremely easy to trace. The surnames are very Britanic/Germanic. The new information revealed that both lines go back to show many Knights, Sirs, Lords, Barons, Governors, ect. Documented proof of strong leadership abilities on both sides of his family dating back hundreds of years. When we look at genealogy/heritage we often draw correlation of physical attributes...blue eyes, a strong jaw, ect...but how about a genetic predisposition to lead, direct, organize and inspire? My husband of course joked at the revelation of familial royalty. But if the truth were told, he doesn't see the family resemblance that the rest of us do. While he is an exceptionally humble man, it is more than that. The wear and tear of life through the years has him believing that he lacks and is deficient in many areas. Our life journey begins to diminish our self image. Family traits, both physical and those of ability, can be so deeply embedded in our make-up as to carry through generations. And here is where that proverbial chord was struck during my morning devotions. If these familial genetic traits are ingrained in us from the beginning, then how much more so with spiritual heritage? "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with HIM." When I don't feel "enough" for the task, my spiritual genetics say otherwise. As HIS child I have everything I need to be His hands and feet to those around me. The longer I journey, the more I need this encouragement. Because we walk in mortality, we forget the truth of our spiritual inheritance. I'm grateful for His patience and love. His love that never gets so tired of me that He ceases to give me fresh revelation and reminding:)