Family Ties
It was late January in 1998. I (Clayton) was flying back to Pacific Lutheran University after studying abroad in London and Paris for a month. This trip was my first adventure in Europe and my head swirled with all that I had experienced. The museums, masterpieces, cathedrals, symphonies, castles, displays of royal fortunes, the underground and more. However, something even more grand shifted my attention as I looked out the plane’s window. Now my gazed shifted down to Norway’s famous fjords. In that moment my heart swelled with a deep desire to “come to Norway”. Almost as if the land was calling to me. So, in that moment I prayed a simple but sincere prayer that I one day would be able to visit such a beautiful place. Only God knew that as a sophomore in college, this prayer would lead me to not just visit, but to live in Norway with my family!
One reason, I believe, that I had such a yearning to visit Norway is that I’m about 1/4 Norwegian. I knew that my grandmother, Serene, on my father’s side, had Norwegian roots. Her father came to America in the early 1900’s. But other than the little lefse rolls that my grandmother served during Harris family Christmas gatherings, I have known very little about that side of the family. As a result, so many questions have surfaced as a descendant of the Jangaard/Harris side of the family tree. Questions such as , why so much secrecy? Why so much emotional and spiritual immaturity? What about family legacy or inheritance?
Fast forward to August, 2025. We find ourselves living in Norway with an invitation to visit a friend and his family in Åndalsnes. When looking at the map, we realized that we would not be far from the area that my distant relatives had a family farm on the island of Valderøya, just offshore of the beautiful city of Ålesund. So, Jenny kicked into action and sent a message on a Jangaard family Facebook page in hopes that someone would be able to share with us how we may be able to meet some distant family members or even visit the old farm site. Well…with what felt like minutes…we had a response for a woman named Caroline. She shares with us that she is living on the farm and that she would love to host us. Once we shared with her that I am a descendant of Arne Jangaard, her enthusiasm jumped drastically as we would be the first from this branch of the family tree to visit from the United States. Plans were made and questions danced in my head as we made the 5.5hr drive to the west coast.
As we arrived to the house at the southern point of Valderøya island, Jenny and I joked that I better not screw this up as the entire reputation of this side of the family rested on me. Thankfully, my heart and mind calmed when we were greeted by Caroline with the warmth that a loving family member would give and we entered into her house to a flurry of “hallo, hei, hyggelig å møte deg (nice to meet you)” and handshakes. She had arranged quite the gathering of uncles, aunts and cousins from around the island and neighboring fjord. Oh how I wished to have had enough time to sit down and hear their stories, one-by-one.
However, this evening was about learning from the past and Caroline and her brother were well equipped with plenty of stories and family photos. After looking at a faded picture of the old farm, Caroline holds up a photo and says, “This is Arne, your great-grandfather. This is his wife Laura (we think that is her name). Did you know that he was married before going to America?”
My jaw dropped. “No! I had no idea that he was married twice. Tell me more.”
Caroline then proceeds to tell us the tragic story of how Arne’s wife, who struggled with mental heath issues and depression, committed suicide. Only three years into their marriage, pregnant with their first child, she walked into the ocean where the farm meets the water, never to be seen again. This crushed Arne. So, he moved to America, leaving all behind: His life and inheritance in Norway.
As I listened to this tragedy, I had so many thoughts and emotions circling in my mind. Then suddenly, like jumbled pieces of a puzzle, it all snapped together. It all made sense. Everything from my family history. All of the unanswered questions came into focus and into the light. Out of one man’s trauma a new branch was formed in the generational tree. A new legacy. A new inheritance. But not the kind that brings blessing, abundance and life. But one of secrecy, confusion, seclusion and instability. I could see that Arne didn’t have the tools to cope with his heartbreak. So he ran from it. But in doing so, he also sacrificed the inheritance that was his to steward and to pass onto the next in line.
Before meeting my relatives I’ve been really wrestling with the idea of inheritance/blessing and how it impacts the generations that follow. For most of us the idea of an inheritance or family blessing comes in the form of land, money, a business and more. It can also be spiritual, relational or come in the form of position, name, reputation or experiences. I’m learning that generational inheritance/blessing can take on so many different forms. With that in mind I’ve been asking God to bring clarity on the topic and to give me eyes to see how inheritance works according to His design and His kingdom’s principles. And, in a very unexpected way, He used this time with my distant relatives to bring so much into focus. He blew away the fog and I can now see what my spirit was wrestling with. That inheritance is real. It is a God ordained principle of life that is deep in in the fabric of the human experience. As a result, it is up to us, the current generation, to steward it well. it is up to us to nurture the spiritual and physical parts of life so that the blessing, not the curse, is passed through the next branches of the family tree. An inheritance of abundance, peace, clarity, wisdom and victory that can only come from our Creator and His Kingdom.
Just a few bible verses about inheritance & generational blessing:
Genesis 49: 26 & 28
The blessings of your father have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors up to the furthest boundary of the everlasting hills;
may they be on the head of Joseph, and on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers…All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.
Proverbs 13:22
A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”
Leviticus 20:24
But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.
Deuteronomy 11:26-28
See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse: blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.
1 Peter 1: 3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
Colossians 1:12
…And giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”
