It is fashionable at the present time for people to track down many generations of their family tree. Some of them hope this knowledge will clarify or justify their present status in society. But historical information can never lead anyone to his real spiritual roots, to the source of his spiritual identity as the child of God.
The Apostle Paul prayed for his fellow Christians to be "rooted and grounded in love." Eph. 3:17. We could amplify this to include the goal of being rooted and grounded in wisdom, strength, integrity, goodness, justice, beauty—a very rich soil. These qualities, all God-given, show us the spiritual nature that is ours to recognize and express.
Man is not a mortal, conditioned by heredity, environment, and human history. Man is spiritual idea, evolved from Spirit, or God, and continually sustained and nourished spiritually. So when we feel we need reassurance and strength, we don't have to look into the past to family tree and national heritage. Instead, we look to our Father-Mother God as the present, infinite, inexhaustible source of inspiration and support always available to everyone. Mrs. Eddy writes: "In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being." Science and Health, p. 63.
