Who Do You Think You Are?

Hall Of Fame Running Back - Emmit Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher. With three Super Bowl Rings and now a first ballot famer, he has enshrined himself permanently in American lore. But his American roots go much deeper than football.

Champion Dancer - Emmit has lent his celebrity to the new reality show "Who Do You Think You Are?". Celebrities take the journey of genealogy to unlock the mysteries surrounding their existence. Emmit's story was told this week on Oprah. Check out the whole story on her website. Here is the gist...

Not So Great- Five generations removed, Emmit realizes his great-great-grandmother had the last name of an infamous slave owner. Her father, Emmit's great-great-great-grandfather was listed as "mulatto", specifically black/white race. His mother, Emmit's great-great-great-great-grandmother was a slave named Mariah. The infamous slave owner??? Ends up being Emmit's great-great-great-great-grandfather. In the show Emmit comes to the sobering realty that he is a product of "rape", a slave owner taking liberties with his "property".

Redskin Lover - It is pretty extraordinary to think of what was produced seven generations after such a traumatic event in young Mariah's life. How many thousands of people have been given life and have their own meaningful legacies who trace their origins to young Mariah? Two thoughts: First, if he isn't already, I would hope Emmit has become an advocate of making it illegal to abort a baby - regardless how it is conceived. A baby is a baby for crying out loud. It deserves to be protected under the law regardless how it came into being. How do you know that you weren't a product of some form of illegal (or immoral) liberty (even if it was 200 years ago or 600 years ago)? Who you are was determined farther back than even 2,000 years ago. Jeremiah reminds us that God took care of that long before. Let's get this right. OOPS! Oprah had one of the best pro life tv shows and didn't even acknowledge the truth that she helped uncover.

Book Of Deeds - Here is another thought. Emmit's news culminated in a trip to a county courthouse to see Mariah's name deeded to the notorious slave trader. The book number - 22. The same number Emmit wore during his football years. Says Emmit, "I've been wearing #22 since college. I have always thought I was a child of destiny, maybe this is my destiny." I believe it is. Our life will not add up like a hall of fame football player. BUT the total of our life isn't seen in the sum of our years on earth. That is just a morsel of who you are. To get the whole picture you have to start at the beginning of time and then draw a line somewhere out into eternity to get the full picture. When you do, you will get a better look at who you really are.