3 Points to Ponder
- “Each of us has brokenness in our lives with our unique name on it. Some run from it while others pick up the pieces and start to put them back together again. Are you running or restoring right now?”
- “Responsibility is tough, as many times it feels unfair. But life is unfair. Get over it. You can either get busy feeling sorry for yourself or you can get busy learning to carry your responsibilities. One produces the life-sucking effects of blame, guilt, and shame. The other produces the life-giving effects of grace. It really is your choice.”
- “We didn’t get to choose where we came from or our family history. But we do get to choose where we are going and the legacy our future family will tell. What are you choosing today?”
2 Quotes to Share
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” -Abraham Lincoln
“If you realize your responsibility, you will realize your destiny.” -Tasneem Hameed
1 Story of Impact
Last week, I found myself in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. For those who aren’t history buffs, in 1865, General Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Grant’s Union Army in the McLean House, essentially ending the Civil War. Thus, the Emancipation Proclamation stating, “That all persons held as slaves… are, and henceforward shall be free,” became the law of the country, not just the North. In the slave house on the McLean property, a sign struck me like a ton of bricks: “1619 – In Jamestown, Virginia, 20 captive Africans arrived aboard a Dutch ship at the British Colony.” For those that don’t know, I am of Dutch descent, with grandparents named De Cook, Vander Linden, and Van Genderen. As I’ve pieced together my history to try to understand my unique calling, this statement made it click. My ancestors brought the first slave ship to North America. As I internalized this realization, a God-given statement came to me. I am not responsible for what my ancestors did, but I have a responsibility to create a better future from the brokenness. It doesn’t do me any good to whip myself for the atrocities of my people because carrying that bag of bricks will only weigh me down as I strive to give freedom to those once enslaved. Instead, I take this information as confirmation to create a better tomorrow for those trapped by the consequences of history. A history my people took part in. It is fuel for the harder path of reconciliation and restoration for the broken things of this world. As you look at your life, where do you bear responsibility for a better tomorrow?
