“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 139:16)
I read
recently that we are all older than we realize. (Yeah, we are).
For you see,
if the theory is correct, each every one of us were present in our
grandmother’s womb. That is to say that when our maternal grandmother was about
twenty weeks pregnant with our mothers, all the eggs our mother would ever
have, (and they numbered in the millions) were already present in her own womb.
I know. It’s a bit hard to grasp. A womb within a womb. (Kinda like Russian
stacking dolls).
Even as a
PhD, I never have been very good at math. (I mean, I have no use whatsoever for
algebra or trigonometry). But if my simplistic computations are correct, the
foregoing theory would increase my apparent age from 70 to a bit short of 100.
(Interestingly enough, I
was actually conceived in 1948; the year that modern Israel became a state).
But be that as it may, it was quite a revelation to discover that some
semblance of who I am has been here decades longer than I formerly realized,
and that my mother carried me around with her, 'til I was put into the
proverbial microwave, and that fertilized egg metamorphosed into that
dry-humored, semi-literate, snappy-dressing, gum-chewing wonderful fella I am
today.
Yes. I am a
pretty old guy. (I guess what I have been saying about being “older than dirt”
is really true)!
But in a
larger sense we are all products of a thousand generations who have moved and
lived and breathed before we were “a twinkle in our daddy’s eye.” My wife and
I, (and my father before me) are amateur genealogists. But you don’t have to be
a genealogist to realize that you have two parents, four grandparents, eight
great grandparents, sixteen great great grandparents, thirty-two great great
great grandparents… Need I continue?
I’ve already
told you that I’m not a candidate for the American National Mathematics
Competition. However, a couple years ago I did a little multiplication, and I
discovered that if you go back about 1500 years, or 33 generations, you and I,
and the guy in the White House, and for that matter the little fat dictator in
North Korea all have (drum roll) 1 billion direct ancestors, or great great
great grandparents! And the 34th generation doubles that number to 2
billion, and so forth and so on. You and I are the sum total of literally
billions of people who have lived, and moved and breathed before us!
Turn with me
to 1st John 2:17
“But this life, and the lust of it is passing away. But
he who does the will of God endures forever.”
My wife and
I traveled to Scotland and Ireland last year, and it so happened that we
visited several cities, areas and islands from which my ancestors migrated to
America. There was my 9th great grandfather Daniel Cone of
Edinburgh, Scotland, my 3rd great grandmother Mary Elizabeth Stewart
of the Isle of Skye, Scotland. And I would not be remiss to leave out my third
great grandfather, Isham McDonald; who hailed from what is now the country of
Northern Ireland.
The
scripture I just read speaks of enduring forever. But have you ever considered
the implication that we will not only endure forever in heaven, but we have
been afforded two opportunities to endure a mighty long time on this planet?
Longer than you can begin to imagine.
For you see,
Isham, and Mary Elizabeth and Daniel, my great great grandparents are still
living and moving and breathing…in me. These three are among billions of my
ancestors who have contributed to my DNA, and chromosomal makeup. They have
allowed me to live in this blue-eyed, bald-headed, slightly overweight 70 year
old body which stands before you tonight. And it goes without saying that many
of my physical traits have been passed on to me by those who came before me.
And in the same way I have contributed to the genetic structure of my son, and
his son, who will live for decades after I have gone on to my reward.
But having
spent a great deal of time and effort laying a foundation, let me get to the
heart of the matter.
From the
time of Adam and Eve, God established a system whereby one generation begets
another which begets another which begets another, and in so doing we have been
afforded the other method by which we will go on living a very long time on
this planet.
And I am
speaking tonight about…Impact. You and I cannot stay here. But we can exercise
Impact on our fellow human beings with these bodies in which we live. I love an
adage I once saw flashed on a screen at a high school graduation.
“My students
are living messages to a time that I will never see.”
I am a
counselor and mentor, and I have been blessed to counsel, guide, encourage and
impact countless people younger than myself. And I am convinced that long after
I leave this earth behind, my message will go right on being shared with
generations which come after me.
In the past
couple of weeks, I experienced an opportunity to intervene for someone who has
already impacted several others since then; who have given their hearts to our
Lord Jesus Christ. These dear people who have recently been converted are, in
essence, my spiritual grandchildren. Of course, I like to think they will go on
to give me spiritual great grandchildren.
And while I
don’t expect these recent converts will muse to themselves, “I wonder who my
spiritual grandfather is,” much less those whom they impact to research their
spiritual lineage, as we would our biological heritage, it is enough that I
have been given the inestimable privilege of being a spiritual grandparent and
great grandparent, and it is enough that my message will live on long after I
leave this world, and that generations to come will bear the unmistakable mark
of my spiritual DNA.
Perhaps by
this time you are saying to yourself, “Why doesn’t he just find another topic
to base his messages on?” (and) “As I recall, he preached on this subject the
last time he stood behind that pulpit.” My friend, I plead guilty.
But to be
sure, this is the (drum roll) 85th sermon I have preached behind
this pulpit. And to be sure, I have preached on everything from The Disciplines
of Life to Mood Disorders to Knowing God’s Will for Our Lives to My Dead Mentor
Figures to The Things Which Will Be Missing in Heaven.
At the same
time, I feel especially keen about Heritage, Destiny and Legacy, and the
concept of geometrically recreating ourselves, and our message in the lives of
those who will submit to our Impact and go on to impact others.
I am so
desperately thankful for the billions of people who I can rightfully refer to
as my genetic grandparents, and who have provided me an opportunity to live and
move and breathe. I am equally thankful for the multiplied hundreds of people
who I can rightfully refer to as my spiritual grandparents, and who, like me,
prayed for their descendants before they had any essence, as I also pray for my
spiritual great grandchildren who have not yet put on flesh.
I hope
something I have shared with you tonight has provided you a bit of insight, and
will inspire you to make a difference among those whom God sets in your
pathway.
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending
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