We each have deeply ingrained messages we learned from our family: some things were spoken, but also unspoken rules. As I was reading Pastor/Dr. Peter Scazzero’s book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, I see we can’t move forward in our Chrisitan lives if we aren’t also willing to go back to see how the past impacts our present. If we are unwilling to do that, our baggage will be passed on to our children and their children’s children as well.
Joseph grew up in a blended family, number 11 of 12 children. He was favored by his father and hated by his brothers, who sold him to become a slave. Yet through the hard circumstances of Joseph’s life, he recognized God’s hand on his life and though he grieved, he was able to forgive his brothers who had betrayed him. He saw that God had used him to save the lives of many, including his own family, during the years of famine. He named his sons Hebrew names that meant “forget” and “fruitful,” for he knew God had rescripted his life.
No matter what kind of a family we come from it doesn’t determine our future, for when we know the Lord we are adopted into the family of God and loved by Him. We learn from our past but in a sense, we are re-parented by the Lord. We experience more and more freedom when we are willing to examine and intentionally work on our past and move forward in Christ, letting Him direct our lives.
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