“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16
“Tell it to your children and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation.” Joel 1:3
“In order to know your routes, you must know your roots.”
Earlier this month I embarked on a passage of returning to my roots. We journeyed to the plantation where my ancestors did involuntary labor in the 1850s and 1860s. I can never fully articulate how it felt to literally stand on the soil where my ancestors lived with the cruelty and savage system of slavery. I was angry that they had to endure it and overwhelmed by the strength and perseverance that got them through it. We honored them with the unveiling of a historical marker, placed on the estate with our ancestors’ names engraved.
When my ancestors were freed in 1865, they didn’t take the names of the slave owners. My ancestors created their own surnames so their descendants would have a new beginning. We were not defined by the former life nor would they succumb to any negative image. They knew who they were. They built their own school to educate their children and built a worship space. They created a community and opened up businesses, most of this was done within three years after receiving their freedom. It was their faith and resilience that strengthened them. Their resilience is a reminder of what we are able to overcome and achieve.
Their spirit called us to the place that once had them bound but not broken. They called us to remember their names and call them out. We listened to their stories as an intergenerational group. As the names of the ancestors were called, their descendants stood. They called us to remember the power of telling our story and gathering together as family. They reminded us of the passing on their story to each generation. One of the elders shared that it was important that the descendants knew their heritage and who they are.
During my journey, I reflected on our spiritual inheritance. The scripture reminds us about the importance of sharing our story and knowing how special we are. Psalm 139 reminds us that we are wonderfully and marvelously made. Ephesians 2:10 tells us “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are reminded in Philippians 4:1 that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. The freedom we have in Christ reminds us that we are to live our lives to the fullest, using every gift that is within us.
We are masterpieces, marvelously made according to God’s design. Let’s remember who we are and live life to the fullest every time.
Tell the story … we have a cloud of witnesses.
Minister Sheila P. Spencer is an author, educator and poet. She can be contacted at CustomMadeInspiration@gmail.com, and her website is sheilapspencer.com.
