Generations

We had a really neat time over Christmas dinner when my grandma (Yia Yia, my dad's mom) brought over an envelope of a myriad of family photographs collected over the past 20-80 years. Looking at old photographs is one of my most favorite pastimes when we visit my mom's mom's house, too. Seeing pictures of my mom and dad looking like they came straight out of Bye Bye Birdie is certainly priceless. Seeing pictures of my great grandmother and grandfather on their wedding day, however, was certainly something that struck me as remarkable.

They came over from Greece and my great grandmother married her husband in an arranged marriage where he was 10 years her senior. Can't you see the excitement on their faces? It made me think of all the choices and details and circumstances that had to come together to bring them to that place. They may or may not have given much thought to them, and yet, if even one of those details would have changed, there's a very good chance that I would not even exist today. Pretty sobering, huh? It put several things in perspective.

1) The choices that I make in my life have the potential to impact generations to come. It's important for me to continually stay in touch with my Heavenly Father and the guidance of His Spirit to direct my path each and every day. I have to confess, however, that the more that I thought about this, the more I became overwhelmed with the weight of it all. That's when God helped remind me of my second thought.

2) While it is my responsibility to be actively seeking God, it's His responsibility to lead me. Sometimes I get so anxious thinking that life is this big "Choose Your Own Adventure" book and that if I pick incorrectly, my one wrong choice will ruin the rest of the story to come. I don't want to begin to analyze the theological implications and discussions of free will and God's sovereignty, but I will say, that He has given me a peace to trust in Him, resting in the fact that He is powerful enough and Good beyond what I understand, to lead me along His path more than I want to go there.

Deep thoughts, huh? You can see where all my provocative thoughts led me after a hearty Christmas dinner.