After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. – Genesis 30:25

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 15, 2015): Genesis 30

I am Canadian. I can trace my family roots back through several generations who have lived in North America. The appearance of my ancestor with the Mullen surname seems to have arrived in New York from Ireland in the late 1700’s. But there are other ancestors in my family tree that I can trace back into the 1600’s – the earliest that I know of emigrated from the Netherlands to the United States within a generation after the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620.

I am Canadian. My ancestors arrived in Canada from the United States in the early 1800’s.  My family tree is a bit of a mess – there is a bit of everything to be found within its branches; Irish, Dutch, German and English among others. Half of my ancestors were probably at war with the other half several times during history. And yet … there is still something about our heritage.

I am Canadian. But if you ask me about my ethnic heritage I will likely tell you that I am Irish. After all, that is the origin of the Mullen name. I have a feeling that there might be more Irish in my heritage than anything else, although I can’t really prove that. But my allegiance is to Canada – after all, it is the country that I know. I have walked its hills and spent time on its streets. If I was forced to call some other place home, that some other place might be the green hills of Ireland, but I have never been there. I dream of someday being able to be visit, but as of yet that hasn’t happened. It is funny that we can sometimes identify ourselves with places that we have never visited. Among my acquaintances are Germans who have never been to Germany and Dutch who have never been to Holland. We seem to make connections with places we have never been simply because of the strength of our heritage. But when we have actually lived there, especially in our childhoods and then have moved away, the connection is even stronger – no matter how long it has been since we lived in that place.

Jacob had lived in Haran for fourteen years. He had married, and had children, he had tight family connections to Haran. It is where his ancestors had lived. And by this time Jacob knew that both of his parents had died, he had missed their funerals and all that was left for him in Canaan was a brother who hated him. And yet, Jacob also seemed to know that that was the place that he belonged. It was the place where he had spent his early years, the place where he had grown up. Ethnically Jacob was from Haran. But that was not his home – his home was Canaan, the land promised to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. And he was part of that heritage. And someday, if not today, Jacob would return home – to the country that he owed his allegiance. And no amount of time or money would ever be enough to change that.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 31