Heritage

Why is heritage so important? Why does it matter who begot who and what traditions formed the current rituals? The lineage is interesting, personal, and we rely on it to establish our present-day conception of who we are, but what is the significance that I was born of Corrie and Stacy or that little Charles will be born of me and Wesley? Will his heritage to God be any different? No.--Yet we are instructed to keep journals, family histories, to trace ourselves and seek understanding through these infinite lines of people.

I'm thinking about the covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Or should I say covenants? A set for each of them? Uniting with the "covenant people" is an issue of devotion and commitment to the Lord regardless of actual bloodlines, so why uphold the three patriarchs? Why centralize on the children of Israel? (And why the "children of Israel" when we recognize and revere his progenitors Isaac and Abraham?)

This isn't actually an issue that disturbs me, (I enjoy organizing way too much not to get a buzz from lineage flow-charts) but it is something I don't understand. In Sunday School this year, the manual suggests reading Our Heritage in conjunction with the Doctrine and Covenants. Instead of reading a few passages here and there, I finished the little book this week. The heritage that is "ours" refers again to covenants and beliefs rather than familial lines. Both are "necessary"--why? I always pose more questions than answers and feel lazy for not attempting to answer them. So here's an attempt at answering. Familial heritage eventually traces back to Adam and Eve which links us directly and physically with Heavenly Father; this is the same kind of lineage as the covenant that links us directly to Him (although the chain may seem a bit shorter this way). In that way, both lines are similar. Family lineage can show where certain genetic traits derived as well as certain family characteristics (hard work is not genetic, but almost in my family and it can be traced for generations). This family heritage allows us to perpetuate positive family traits and also question others. It provides a sense of identity and connectiveness which does offer comfort. Covenant lineage also provides a sense of identity and purpose as it determines who we've decided to be(come) and what we will do as a result. Another source of comfort and direction. Knowing these different types of heritage may influence our present and ultimate choices--therefore, the past becomes necessary to the future. We gain "family" through both blood and covenant and unite with others to accept "our" heritage and create a heritage for the future.

While this makes sense to me right now, my conclusions my alter by this afternoon. Ah, the endless "howevers" of thinking in mortality.