Tracing Relatives, Looking at the British Census.

Recently, My oldest son, Tom (18)  and I have enjoyed looking at the census in England and Wales tracing relatives. This information does not explain why someone died, or the quality of his life.  Dates, place of birth and occupation can only tell you so much. We came across a ninety year old who was born at sea in the 1760s . She was of independent means and when she was old she lived with her daughter. She was one of  Martyn’s (my husband) ancestors. The men in his family seemed to have lived much shorter lives, leaving behind young widows and small children. This has prompted me to encourage the males in my family to live healthy lives to move away from any genetic curse!

Did our Relatives Believe in God?

I have also wondered whether these long forgotten family members are in heaven. Was the inclusion of a name like Joshua indicative of  faithful parents or was it a fashionable name  in the late nineteenth century? In nineteenth century Britain it is likely that most of our relatives at least believed in the existence of God, in the same way that most early Americans did. But we should understand that  acknowledging God’s existence is not enough.

Is Believing in God Enough to go to Heaven?

The Bible explains that the devil believes in God: James 2:19 “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?” This verse does not say that faith is unimportant- it is essential. However if someone does  not exhibit any Christ like behavior, that person is not a Christian. Real faith results in a changed life, impacted profoundly by the Holy Spirit. Even the devil believes that Jesus is God.  We need to encourage others to enter into a relationship with Jesus rather than there being satisfied with an awareness of His existence.

The fact is that I will not know the fate of most of our ancestors this side of heaven, but I can impact the eternal future of  those who are alive now. So much is achieved through prayer. We should pray persistently for those who are spiritually lost and we should seek opportunities to help them understand how much Jesus loves them.

Will Our Relatives Find our Names in the Census ?

One day we may be a name, attached to a date of birth with an address that a future relative discovers on a census. How sad that in many cases we do not even know the full names of our great grandparents and we can’t even find them on a census. In truth, none of this is of any importance compared with whether our names and those of our loved ones are written in Jesus’s Book of Life. Unlike the census, we are not recorded in it because we live in a certain place. Rather,  our names will be there if our sins have been forgiven by Jesus; if we have received the Holy Spirit and if we are “new creations ” : God’s children. Please pray that your loved ones will be adopted into God’s family through faith in Jesus, through His grace that we can never earn..His gift is free but life changing.

Jesus’s “Book of Life” is Like a Census for Eternity

Hopefully we will meet ancestors in Heaven. I can do nothing to influence this, but I will strive to pray, encourage, and help those who are living that they may be added to God’s eternal “census”: never to be forgotten by the “King of Kings”. Instead of reminding us of dead relatives, the “Book of Life” reminds of wonderful, eternal life in heaven. I hope to see you there!

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