Unexpected Kin: A Royal Connection in the Roots?

Hello from Colorado! Today is the last day of March. I’m going to write about something outside of the woman at the well. Hum! So to speak! I feel like being creative and stretching my family historian skills to see if I’m related to the Pope.

As many of us in the Black community know, we often hit a “brick wall” around our third great-great-grandparent based upon their age and ours. For me, that is the case. However, I can research surnames to see who might be related to me. To see if the Pope and I are related or share relatives, I checked my DNA matches for surnames on his mother’s side. BINGO! I found several matches with the last name Lemelle. Now, I’m curious!

This discovery reminds me that God doesn’t consult your critics before He gives you a dream! And apparently, He doesn’t consult the sidelines before He writes your family tree, either. While the world tries to tell you that your history is small or “unimportant,” God is busy revealing that your roots are royal.

The Pope’s ancestor, Celeste Lemelle, was a woman of vision from a prominent Louisiana family of property owners. Seeing that shared name in my DNA proves that the “many irons” God has in your family’s fire have been burning for generations. Don’t let a “know-it-all” spirit try to diminish your value; they don’t know the “hidden riches” (Isaiah 45:3) God placed in your bloodline long ago. You aren’t “misguided” for exploring your past—you are walking in the divine wisdom required to reclaim the crown He already gave you.

The Takeaway

The Weight of Heritage: Your DNA carries stories of survival and vision that the sidelines could never understand.
A Shared Foundation: We are all connected in ways we can’t see until we start “casting our nets” into our own history.

Community Challenge

Have you ever found a family connection that made you see yourself differently? How does knowing your ancestors were property owners and visionaries change how you view your own dreams today?

Scripture & Prayer

Scripture: “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, am the God of Israel.” — Isaiah 45:3
Prayer: Father, I thank You for the “hidden riches” of my heritage. I refuse to let the people sitting on the sidelines diminish my worth. I walk in the full knowledge that I am part of a divine lineage. Amen.

Spiritual Seal