“The Lord knows those who are his”
(II Timothy 2:19)
I am not related to anyone famous. No royal bloodline in my ancestry. No close kin to any political or celebrity personality. I came sort of close for a little while. My mother told my brother and me that one of our second cousins was the band director at Ohio State. That made me feel proud, until I found out it was Iowa State and not Ohio State. Oh well, mom did always have a bit of a problem getting her facts straight. Now my husband Reid has a legitimate bit of a claim to fame. Somewhere in his family tree hangs his connection to the actor Rob Lowe. If you look up Rob Lowe’s name, you will discover that his middle name is Hepler. His mother’s maiden name was Hepler, and she chose to give her surname to her son. A couple of years ago we visited some of Reid’s family he had never met who live in Brockport, Pennsylvania. It turned out to be an interesting visit. There is a Hepler’s Country store there, along with a Hepler’s beverage drive through, and a Hepler’s insurance, if you are ever in the area. And they are all very friendly people. One of the questions they asked us was if we knew how we were all related to Rob Lowe. Sorry, but we were no help. No one seems to know the exact line of family descent to the famous actor, so it will in all probability remain a mystery we can brag about, but will likely never be able to put all the pieces of the family puzzle together.
However, in Jesus Christ, our family pedigree is different. It is something we can surely brag about. First, we have the privilege of calling God Almighty – Father. I John 3:1 proclaims, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” Hebrews 2:11 tells us, “Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Our relationship with the Father and Son bring us into the great spiritual family of God. “So, then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19)
Quite an impressive family tree we share, is it not? And if that is not enough, our family tree in Christ is steeped in royalty. We are told that in I Peter 2:9 – “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light.”
So, my second cousin was not the band director at Ohio State. And the likelihood of our dear cousin, Rob Lowe ringing our doorbell is probably nil. But we can certainly boast in the fact that the God and Creator of this universe is our Father, and His Son Jesus Christ is our brother. And that is the best family heritage anyone can have.
Darlene