Roots

It is amazing how we can look back and see what G-d was doing in our lives even before we believed in or accepted Him as our Savior and Messiah. I was blessed to come across this poem I wrote just about 4 months before I became a believer in Yeshua, a time when my spiritual yearning was greatest in its intensity. It is entitled "Part Cherokee." Here's an excerpt:

"...take me away from this civilization; I want to touch my roots, know my foundation; take me somewhere, the air is fresh; I want to feel the earth, the womb of my flesh..."

Being a "mutt" genetically (a Caucasian with a mixture of a little bit of everything European and not knowing exactly the who or the where of my ancestry), used to cause me a lot of fumbling for words when I was younger and people would ask what my background was. They were usually baffled when I told them I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, so then they would proceed to asking me where I got my accent because it was not what they knew to be a southern accent. My reply was always, "I have an accent?" I've had people ask me if I was from Czechoslovakia, South America, and Israel to name a few. Upon discovering that on my mom's side of the family, I am part (probably a very little part) Cherokee, and on my dad's side, Blackfoot Indian. This gave me an interesting outlet, and it made me sound like a more interesting person (in my mind anyway). Because I didn't have any real roots of my own, I joined myself to roots that meant much more to others. Looking back, I now realize that searching for roots is a very human, and also very spiritual, activity. People, like trees, need roots to thrive, and I would venture to say, the deeper the roots, the better off we are.

Transitioning into messianic worship has shown me my real roots. I worship the G-d of Israel and the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, whom He sent first to the nation of Israel. I have been grafted into the Olive Tree. Amazingly, G-d answered what I asked of Him in my poem above. He helped me to 'touch my roots' and 'know my foundation'. Maybe not the answer I was looking for, but the answer. So now when I tell people I am messianic and what that means, I understand that Yeshua is the important part of the equation, not me. Yes, I'm part Cherokee, and, yes, my accent might be strange because I pick up accents from others, but let me tell you about my background...