Monday, June 29, 2020
Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy. Isaiah 61:7
A God of Restoration and Blessing
If you think that God’s blessing is not for your family…
My family is broken. The family I grew up in as a little girl was broken
too. Most families have some broken parts – broken relationships, broken marriages,
broken children, - because our families are made of human beings. Whether you want to believe it or not, we are
all broken. We have trouble understanding sometimes why we have these imperfect
lives and broken families when we love the Lord, and we believe He loves us.
Only God Himself can love us perfectly. No human being can love us like
He does, and we are totally incapable of loving others the way He does,
even with the very best and truest intentions. We are human, and in our sinful nature,
we make a mess. We make a mess of family, marriage, relationships, jobs, and
the list goes on. Are you haunted with thoughts like this - I have made too
much mess for God to ever restore me or my life. My family – the broken
relationships – He will never bless us. He cannot fix this. I have tried to
fix the brokenness in my family and the brokenness I see all around me. Can you
relate? With the best of intentions, some of us think we can help bring broken
relationships back together, but there is absolutely nothing you or I can do to
mend what only God has the power to mend. God may use you, but only He can do this. Only
He can fix what is broken in our lives.
Some people believe that ungodly behaviors in family lines are results of
generational curses. Generational curses are believed to be patterns of ungodly
behavior passed down from generation to generation in families. Sometimes scripture
taken out of context has led some to believe that because their parents had
certain issues, then they will have the same problems.(Let me say that I know
that addictions can run in families and I know that it can be a real struggle
that can be passed down.) Exodus 20:5
says You shall not bow down to them or worship
them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for
the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me…
Certainly, there are consequences of the sins of those who go before us that
sometimes affect more than one generation, but every generation has the choice
to not be defeated by the consequences of the sins of those who have gone
before them. Behaviors such as alcoholism, drug addiction, out of control
anger, financial irresponsibility, and more will influence children who grow up
in certain environments, but in Christ they too have the power to overcome.
This is not a curse. There is no brokenness beyond the power of God.
Rebellious behavior is a personal choice that we make, and though it’s convenient
to blame them on our ancestors, before we can break free from anything, we must
lay the responsibility where it belongs – on ourselves. We can choose to break
these cycles with the power of God. He alone has the power to break any ungodly
rebellious behavior. His blessing is stronger than any hold that we may
believe there is on our own life or those in our families. His love and grace
are strong enough to love us unconditionally through all our bad decisions and
wrong turns. His mercy and forgiveness are
strong enough to break the power of sin and His sacrifice broke the power of
death forever. There is nothing He cannot conquer for us and through us. Let me also say that there are times when we
may need the help of professionals to break out of some cycles, and there is no
shame whatsoever is receiving help. God
is completely sufficient, but He equips others to help us through this process
as well when needed.
Satan wants nothing more than for you to believe that your family is too broken
to be blessed by God. And God wants nothing more than for you to know the power
of His love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption. God is a God of
restoration. He is all about fixing the broken parts of our lives and families and
redeeming them for His glory. That is His goal – redemption. It is not shame.
It is not condemnation. It is not defeat. It is redemption, made complete in
Him.
By Lara Cook
