OPINION:
Have you ever considered how you got where you are? Thought about all the people who allowed God to work through them to get you to today, even beyond your family?
Looking at our culture, there are so many things that can negatively affect a family line and legacy, like divorce, disputes, disease, and death. But unfortunately, there aren’t many things that change an entire family line for the better.
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Even events like winning the lottery, receiving a big inheritance, or getting your own reality TV show can turn out to be destructive and cause a family to be worse off than before. But when Jesus comes into a home, He can change everything forever. That’s definitely what happened to us Robertsons.
My family’s new life led us to move from rural southern Arkansas to the outskirts of West Monroe, Louisiana, where Pastor Bill Smith lived. We also started going to the church where he preached. The change led my mom to do things like pack us boys up and drive to a nearby Christian camp when we had no money for the week’s cost. When we got there, Mom told us to wait in the car while she went to find the director. After a while, she came back and said, “Okay, boys, they said y’all could stay.” So, out of the car we ran to the cabins, while Mom walked to the dining hall.
Mom had asked the director if she could trade working in the kitchen all week in order for us to attend the camp. She wanted us to learn about Jesus way earlier in life than she and Dad had, hopefully, to save us from the misery she had to live through. That week, we had a blast, while Mom was in the kitchen helping cook and clean up after three meals a day for a camp full of kids.
But there was more in store for me than Jesus that week. As a fifth grader at the camp, I would meet a young girl named Korie. I would get up the nerve to ask her on a moonlight hike, and she would agree to go. Korie also went to that same church Bill pastored. In my book “Gospeler: Turning Darkness into Light One Conversation at a Time,” I tell a story of a successful businessman who had funded the start of the new church and hired Bill. Well, that same man also put up all the money to build the Christian camp we went to that week.
And that same man was none other than Korie’s grandpa, Alton Howard. Alton was instrumental in hiring Bill, who shared the Good News with my father. And now after 30-plus years of marriage to Korie, I’m still in awe of what all took place to make this happen.
Yes, the Gospel is tethered to all of our story. The word impeller used in one of my chapter’s title means “to urge or drive forward … as if by the exertion of strong moral pressure.” From the day my parents came to Christ, Jesus has been our family’s Impeller, the One who urges and drives us forward as our motivation and mission.
The Gospel offers the peace of knowing no matter what happens here, there is life beyond this life. Knowing that truth alone can change everything; even death can be a victory, not a defeat. So I don’t give up on people, because I know the power that is there to completely change lives, no matter how bad things may be. You may have someone in mind right now who needs life change. I hope for their sake you won’t give up on them.
In a fallen world where human behavior can make you want to give up, the hope of the Gospel gives me the strength to continue to share the story with others. In the first chapter on my book, I talked about my Gospel genealogy in connection to my family. But once we are adopted into God’s kingdom, that circle is expanded. As for me, I began to be influenced not just by my parents but by scores of other people who helped make me who I am today. We each have to take hold of the Good News for ourselves for the lineage to continue in our circles. That genealogy doesn’t look like a normal family line. How many hundreds of people helped create my spiritual family tree? What about yours? Think of who came into your life at just the right moment to help you on your path.
I love how God calls Himself Father and the body of Christ a family — spiritual brothers and sisters, spiritual dads and moms. Where our natural family might come up short or even flat-out fail, God can create a new family. The ones who help start that path by sharing the Good News are always special; they are a part of your Gospel genealogy.
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Willie Robertson is the CEO of Duck Commander and Buck Commander and star of A&E’s ”Duck Dynasty.” He is a New York Times best-selling author of “The Duck Commander Family: How Faith, family and Ducks Built a Dynasty,” “American Hunter, American Fisherman, and American Entrepreneur.” Robertson’s story is a remarkable example of entrepreneurship and dedication built on hard work, faith, and family.
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