You don’t stumble upon your heritage. It’s there, just waiting to be explored and shared. –Robbie Robertson

Every time I had the chance, I would open my mom’s old cedar chest and pull out her childhood photo albums. They were filled with pictures of people that I had never met; uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents. Every picture seemed so intentional. Every person was always dressed for the occasion, smiling at the camera, and gladly preserving a moment in time. (When you don’t have the luxury of taking a thousand pictures at a single event, deleting the bad ones, and photoshopping the other ones, you become more selective of the pictures that you take.) Back then, the pictures were truer to reality.

I loved looking at those pictures while my mother would tell me the stories behind them. It seems like every time she did, I learned something new about the world that helped to shape my mother, her brothers, even her father and her mother. In truth, I learned about the world that would be forging my own life. I began to see my heritage as the important foundation upon which I was being built. I may have only been 10 years old, but the process of creating me had been taking place for generations. This was my heritage.

One of the things that I love about America is our rich heritage. Some of us can trace our story back to the first immigrants who walked onto this continent over 23,000 years ago. Some of us can trace our story back to Ellis Island. Some of us, like myself, can trace our story back to places like Mexico, Ireland, and Germany (what a mix!). Some have a story that forced them onto this continent in chains. Some have families that pioneered new lands and settled areas that have been their homes for centuries. There are countless stories that make up our nation and her people. Our heritage is important because it helps define who we are by where we have been. Forgetting our heritage is a step in losing our humanity.

There are some who fear that our heritage is a means of division. To be fair, it can be. If we look at our story as the only story that mattered in the larger scheme of things, then our heritage will become a weapon of division and further dehumanization. This does not make our heritage evil; only the way in which we use it. Every story can be used to strengthen us and our community. It is up to us to do so.

Over the last few years, I have shared thoughts from the narrative of the Bible. I’ve shared from this book because it is the story of every one of us. I don’t have to believe in Ireland to have come from there, nor does a person have to believe in the God of the Bible for Him to have still been their creator. The Bible is the story of every person on this planet. It is our ultimate heritage. Paul writes to the church in Rome, “Is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t God the God of Gentiles also? Yes, God is also the God of Gentiles” (CEB Romans 3:29).

He is your God and the story of the Bible is your story. It is a story of a God who relentlessly pursues humanity for the sake of giving them life abundant. It is the story of a God who desires mankind to live in peace, with compassion, kindness, and joy. It is the story of a people who fall and are lifted up by the only existing God. It is the story of a God who covenants to save the nations and who is willing to sacrifice Himself for those who would betray Him. It is a story of hope and love, and it is your story. It is your heritage. I pray that you would explore it to find out who you really are and what great things you were created to do.

As for my family and me, we will soon begin a new chapter in our own story. God has called us away from Los Alamos, a place we have called home for the last five years. The memories that have been forged here will become a part of who we are and who our kids will continue to become. Our story has been blessed to include new friends and family that have shared their stories with us and allowed our stories to become intertwined.

This will be my final submission to the Los Alamos Daily Post. I want to thank Carol and everyone there for letting me be a part of their family. I thank you all for your love and your hearts. Mine breaks as I write this.

Grafted by His Grace,

Pastor Raul Granillo

If you have a Biblical question, comment, or concern, please feel free to email me at raul@lavistanaz.org.

To find out more about La Vista Church, or to hear this and other messages, visit our website at www.lavistanaz.org. Follow Pastor Raul on Twitter @RaulGranillo007

Please come join us as we fix our eyes on Jesus. Our NEW HOURS are Sundays at 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10:30 a.m. for worship. Everyone is welcome!