My granddaughters have been learning about their heritage in school. One day my youngest granddaughter took home a paper doll, and her homework was to dress it in clothing that depicted her heritage. Two older granddaughters had to prepare a family tree with pictures of their ancestors.
Your heritage is your history; it’s a mixture of genes, decisions, cultural, and environmental factors that continue to affect you, even though you had no part in them.
Learning about our heritage not only provides a link to the past, but it also helps us prepare for the future. A person’s traditions, culture, core values, faith, and so much more affect how they parent their children, whether good or bad.
Your heritage does not determine who you are; it just determines where you came from. So if you have people who are part of your heritage that have done great deeds, you can try to emulate their example. And if you have notorious ancestors, you have examples of what to try to avoid.
We often talk about making memories, but we’re also making history. The way we live builds into the heritage of our grandchildren and their children. Such things as when, where and to whom we were born, where we grew up, the schools we attended, the traditions we followed, and any significant transitions we encountered in our lives are all aspects of our heritage.
Most important is our heritage of faith. Listen to what the psalmist wrote:
We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. (Psalm 44:1 NIV)
If we value our heritage, we will want to pass it on to our children, with little bits of ourselves included. The way we live, our beliefs, and the character we build all add to the heritage we leave our children.
The internet has several videos to help you with learning about your heritage. Why not check them out?