God is at work through the good and the bad of our history and present circumstances.   ~~~   Have you ever spent any time looking back through the branches of your family tree? It can be fascinating what you find. Just me mentioning a family tree I know some of you get excited because YOU have done your homework! You’ve done the digging, the research and you have pieced together ancestral history from photos, birth and death certificates, historical records, news stories and anything pretty much that gives a glimpse into your history. You may be like my friend Lawrence. He has invested countless hours into researching his family tree. Not long ago, through a conversation about his last name, he discovered a lady, who was in his early morning work out class, was his cousin! How cool is that? He was so excited to know more family! Pieces of his story coming together, it’s beautiful. I was raised in a small town and my Grandfather, on my Mom’s side, was one of seven siblings. Over the years I was always hearing, ‘oh yeah, they’re your cousin’. I had to be careful who I went out with! But seriously, the branches keep going and going don’t they? I’m thankful for the many, many roots that make up who I am. Often though, when it comes to our history, we might not always like what we find. What may have been thought to be one thing, could have been quite the other. Careful digging around THAT tree, you might be surprised what you find! But when we do, we see a story unfold, that although may have broken roots and missing pieces, it’s a story that still blooms beautifully when met with the amazing grace of God. It’s our story. We all have one. Our stories are not something to compare, they’re chapters that lead us all to today. What we choose to do with THIS day is what matters. You see no matter what you may find IN your history, or what may be IN your lineage, God has been and will continue to work through it all. A favorite song of mine that says it best is ‘Through it All’, written in 1971 by Andre Crouch. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His word. If I was to sum up my life in one line, it would be that lyric. Through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus. I can look back in my history and it’s not perfect. There are broken pieces because WE are broken, but the beauty of knowing Jesus is that IN those broken places, He mends us and tends gently to our hearts and something beautiful grows. In the Old Testament I love the story of the child King Josiah. He ascended the throne at the age of eight! Josiah was the grandson of Manasseh, known for being the worst king of Judah. He was bad, really bad. When Josiah’s father Amon was assassinated, he became the king of Judah. Although the kings before him did NOT follow God’s law and ways, Josiah had some good deep roots and he tapped into them. While his immediate family was not so great, he was born into the Judean royalty lineage of David, Solomon and Rehoboam. He looked back to the Godly kings before him and once again upheld God’s law. He couldn’t change his history, but he did break the chains of his past. He was a good king. 2 Kings 22:2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. Josiah didn’t have much to build on when it came to his immediate family tree. So he looked deeper and he looked to God. I love that Josiah’s Hebrew name means “the Lord supports”. Maybe you look into your history and feel like you don’t have good solid roots, remember Josiah. You’re not alone. God sees you. He loves you and HE will support you and give you strength to break free from the chains of your past as you trust and seek Him. That’s the truth. Good fruit does come from broken roots. Go read Matthew chapter one. It’s the family tree of Jesus and you’ll find Josiah’s name in verse eleven. Through it all, the good the bad and the ugly, God IS at work and He meets us and supports us as we look to Him as our part of the story is being written. I’m Lori Cline.