Does My Position Here & Now Matter in the Hereafter?

With my dad here in town, a baptism at church, and extended family gatherings, I've recently been giving some thought to my family history. I find it easier to listen than to read the "family tree" so I asked my dad to tell me about his recollections of his relatives - you know, oral history.

After hearing the memories and looking backward, I would confidently conclude that the Miller clan cannot claim the "pull-myself-up-by-the-bootstraps" or pioneer mentality throughout its 20th century generations. Living in dark shacks, in the grip of alcoholism, and other self-destructive behavior - this was the legacy until Grandpop - my dad's dad.

Now I have a bunch of questions: What happened at the point of my Grandpop's life to change the pattern? How does one get where he or she is at in life? Is it just happen-stance? How can my family of origin be doing so well? Define "well" by most people's standards: My health, Roof over the head, Safe area to live, Healthy children, Food on the table, Clean water, 24/7/364 Electricity (we live in Florida, hence the outage factor of 1 day), Steady job, Bills paid, Friends, Reliable transportation.

Answers??

• If I believed in Hinduism, then I would accept this as "karma," that somehow I had done something right in another life and was benefiting now for past actions.
• If I were a humanist, then my family must have worked real hard and had many who helped them to this place.
• If Taoism were my central belief, I might believe that sacrifices to my deceased relatives had somehow curried favor with eternal entities and now I find myself in the flow and balance of the life with the universe.
• If I were an evolutionist or pragmatist, I would believe that my family evolved in their thinking in each succeeding generation and loosened their bonds to poverty.
• If I believed in Zoroastrianism, then I must have had enough good thoughts, good words, and good deeds to have brought on this station in life.
• If I was a post-modernist, I'd be skeptical of any ideas on how this happened.
• If I were silly, then I'd think I was "lucky."

As a Christian, however, I am closer in life to the lyrics that Chris Rice writes in his song, "Face of Christ":

How did I find myself in a better place
I can’t look down on the frown on the other guy’s face
‘Cause when I stoop down low, look him square in the eye
I get a funny feeling, I just might be dealing
With the face of Christ

See you had no choice which day you would be born
Or the color of your skin, or what planet you’d be on
Would your mind be strong, would your eyes be blue or brown
Whether daddy would be rich, or if momma stuck around at all

The apostle Paul wrote:

"And he made from one man every nation of mankind
to live on the face of the earth,
having determined allotted periods
and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
that they should seek God,
in the hope that they might feel their way
toward him and find him.
Yet, he is not far from each one of us, for
'In him we live and move and have our being...'"

Acts 17:26-28 (ESV)

As much as I think about the station in life from whence my family recently occupied, my attention is captivated by the truly remarkable present contrast:

My family tree was taken from the kingdom of darkness
and brought into the kingdom of light,
and made a Covenant Family
by the God Almighty, through Jesus Christ His Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The life given to me, I am told, is a gift.

"For by grace you have been saved
by faith (in Christ).
And this is not your own doing
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) (italics mine)

How I am grateful! Soli Deo Gloria - To God be the Glory!

--CFM