Heritage

How y’all doing out there?

Several years ago, I received an email from my father’s cousin, my second cousin. He’d been researching extensively the DeSalles Family genealogy and.wrote to tell me:

“I am the 37th great granddaughter of Charlemagne (Charles I), King of France, born April 2, 742, and succeeded his father in 768. On Christmas day 800 he was proclaimed emperor of the Romans and the successor of Caesar Augustus and Constantine by Pope Leo III. He died January 28, 814. Between my 24th great grandfather Sancho I, King of Portugal, and Charlemagne, I have 12 more great grandfathers who were kings. I can now claim that I’m a descendent from royalty.”

This sounded impressive and I got excited. But at the time I received this I was studying 1 Samuel, and the lives of Saul and David. Suddenly I was curious. Was Charles, King of France a good king or a wicked king? I know now he was in fact a very good king but at the time I decided I’d better not boast about my heritage until I learn whether he was a reputable king or not.

And this got me thinking. I like the feeling of being related to “royalty.” Something so, well, regal, about tracing my heritage back to a king, and all the way back to 768. Somehow, it just made me day. Ah, but then this verse came to mind.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Now this is a heritage I will boast in. And I thought it was cool to discover that I was related to a bonafide king. Fact is, though, absolutely nothing compares with the extraordinary privilege and honor—not to mention the actual revelation itself—of knowing that while I did absolutely nothing to make this happen, I have been adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jesus.

It’s by reading and studying through the Old Testament that I am able to begin to understand New Testament concepts better such as “chosen people” and “royal priesthood.”

Yes, I’ll admit it. I was fascinated to learn that as part of my heritage I was the 37th granddaughter of a mighty fine king. But really, does it matter? After all, Scripture teaches that through Christ, I have been grafted into the family of God. I already am a daughter of a King — not even a granddaughter. A daughter.

Reminds me of a poem I wrote oh a good 30 years ago:

AWARENESS

I didn’t even know
it was pain that I was feeling
until You comforted me.

And I didn’t realize
the encouragement I needed
until You told me I was special.

I wasn’t aware
I had so much to offer
until You told me I was the daughter of a King,

And I never understood
the loneliness I felt,
until You said You’d be my Friend.

©1974 Gayle DeSalles