Trouble was brewing in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States in the late 1800s. It all started with a dispute over the ownership of a hog. Reprisal and retribution spiralled out of control and seemed endless, and over a span of about 20 years, more than a dozen members of two vengeful families were dead. This ongoing feud caught the attention and imagination of the whole country. The Hatfields and McCoys became a caricature for moonshine-swilling, trigger-happy, illiterate hillbillies.

The head of the Hatfield clan, "Devil Anse" (so nicknamed because it was said that he was supposedly so strong and fierce that he could take on the devil himself), had been adamantly anti-church all his life. He must have had a change of heart as an old man, however, because it is reported that he was baptized in the river when he was around age 70. This action also helped to bring the feuding to a halt.

Imagine my surprise when — in tracing my own family roots — I discovered that I have a great-grandmother about six generations back named Pharibah Hatfield. She was something like a great-aunt of Devil Anse, so yes, I do have traces of Hatfield blood running in my veins!

I find this somewhat sensational family connection to be interesting, but so what if I'm connected to the scandalous Hatfield clan? All families have their share of scoundrels and scallawags along with the saints. I wonder, though — had I lived during that time, would I have wanted to distance myself from the infamous clan? Two of Devil Anse's cousins did just that and moved across the country, coincidentally settling in the small logging community in Washington state where — many years later — I grew up. As a parallel in today's highly secular world, when the Christian faith is ridiculed, do we tend to distance ourselves from it by trying to hide our faith?

Best of all, Scripture assures us that our new life in Christ truly gives us a new heritage. Each one of us is no longer bound by genetic restraints, but has God-given power to become a new person whose old way of life has been washed clean.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! (TLB)

Will you — will I — choose to embrace our new life in Christ, refusing to be defined by our old way of life? Let us move onward and upward in our life of faith, seeking to pass on godly attributes as well as physical likenesses to our children.

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, how grateful we are to be called Your children. May we receive Your power to live a life worthy of this claim and bring honour to the family name. Amen.

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About the author:

Gail Lundquist <gail10833@gmail.com>
Beaverton, Oregon, USA
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