An Unwanted Family Heirloom

People always say that Debbie—my daughter— looks just like me. I don’t see it. But maybe she inherited the color of my hair, facial features, and facial expressions. Those are physical things that she’s stuck with whether she likes it or not. I wonder though if there are other things that I am passing down to her—even subconsciously. The truth is that many times we pass down more than just family heirlooms. We pass down destructive behaviors, ways of thinking, and even curses. Other examples of things that can be passed down through generations are:

• Divorce

• Bitterness

• Alcoholism

• Lack of forgiveness

• Debt

• Abuse

  The sad part is that many of these things become such a familiar part of our lives that we don’t even question it. Sometimes we don’t think change is possible.

There’s people that you haven’t even met yet that will one day become very special to you. Think about it. Your children, grandchildren, spouse (if you’re not yet married). Have you ever considered how the decisions that you make today will affect those people? Often we think of the repercussions our decisions—or lack thereof—will have on us. But we hardly think of the repercussions those decisions will have on our future generations.

I talk bout self-improvement a lot. I talk about healing from our past hurts, about being proactive and consciously making better decisions. Change isn’t easy. As humans we are comfortable with what we know. It takes courage to step out of the status quo and take ownership of our decisions and the results of those decisions.

What are you doing today to change the course of your life and those of your future generations? On our own, this can seem impossible. But we are not called to walk this road alone. Through Jesus we have the hope that he makes all things new. We don’t have to follow in the steps of our ancestors. We don’t have to make the same mistakes.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19