GOING BACK TO THE BEGINNING

Many people today go to great lengths to trace their family tree. They want to trace their family name and discover the history that helped shape them. A recent trip to the country of my parents' birth stirred that interest in me. That trip stimulated a strong desire to know my heritage and the role it has played in my life.

Though I haven't yet been able to trace my immediate family roots very far, I can easily go back to the very beginning of my human heritage. Those roots take me back not just to Adam and Eve but to the God who made us in his image, in his own likeness.

Have you noted the use of the plural here? God refers to himself as "us" and "our" and says that we humans are created male and female. Being human has to do with being made to connect with others. I am not human as God intended if I am simply an island by myself; I am fully human when I am in relationship. My identity is determined not just by who came before me; it's also about whoever I connect with.

This is a good time to reflect on who you are too. How is God's image reflected in your relationships? What kinds of connections do you have?

Today is Sunday, a day to consider our roots in God and what it means to be human. Have you thought about your heritage lately?

Prayer

O God who made us, help me to know who you are and what it means that I have been made in your image. Help me to know myself by my connection to you and others.  Amen.

Henry Kranenburg