Why Genealogy?

As I've waded into the genealogical realm, I've observed that family pride and historical interest often are the reasons people keep track of family history. For me, the main motivator is the more personal question each of us must grapple with - who am I, why am I here, and where am I headed? OK, that's three questions. In our culture that moves at warp speed, finding time to pass on values and helping the next generation understand who they are is more difficult than it used to be (hey, I'm too busy figuring out who I am!). I often find myself thinking distraction is one of Satan's favorite weapons.

It's 2010 - 10 years ago, we did not have MP3 players, because there weren't any MP3's. PlayStation 1 and Game Cube were cutting edge game systems (is the Wii great, or what?). 5 Gig hard drives were the bomb. We still watched videos, not DVDs, and the Blue Ray wasn't even yet a blueprint. The Internet was staggeringly slow, and don't forget the "ba-bing, ba-bing, ca-ching, staaaaaatic" sound we had to endure each time to log on. Now look at any Sunday sales flyer and bask in the LED glow of all the distractions that call to us. It's not that we don't have time to understand who we are, it's that we fill our schedules with other, temporal things.

Genealogy has taught me about where I come from, who I am, and where I am going. It has inspired me through the stories of my ancestors who literally risked, and at times lost, the lives of their families to escape the desperate conditions in Europe in the 19th century. It has made me realize I am part of something bigger - a legacy - a struggle that started long before I was born, and now that God has given us children, will continue on after I've become an entry in the "Died" column. I now realize that my hands are not my own - they are also the hands that fought for liberty, rebelled against British oppression, crushed a German war machine, worked the soil, milked the cows, and built a free nation. Many of the ills of our country right now can be attributed to forgetting what it cost to get us here. Genealogy is remembering, and in doing so, honoring our ancestors sacrifices, while at the same time giving us inspiration to keep striving to live lives worthy of their dreams, and their hopes for their children.