The sins of our fathers

Before my mother died, she spent a few years in a hospital Alzheimer ward. Her first few weeks there were in a tiny room with too much furniture and not much going for it. She was dismayed. “You mean this is where I have to live?”

I explained to her often-confused mind that this was temporary and they were getting a nice room ready for her. Then the nurse came in and explained again. I watched her countenance change. Then she said, “You know, I’ve been through a lot. I can handle this too.”

When some woman hear, “You are so much like your mother,” they cringe. Part of it depends on age, but some mothers are not great role models. When I was young, my mother was the last person I wanted to be like. I only saw things that annoyed me. As I grew older, I realized she had many qualities worth imitating. Being courageous in the face of challenges is one of them.

However, the Lord has put on my heart to think about generational sin. By that I mean the sins of my parents and grandparents that were not conquered and that may have passed down to me, even to my children and grandchildren. It seems no coincidence that I read Acts 7 this morning. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is accusing his persecutors with, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”

As your fathers did. Very little observation is required to realize that no one has to teach a child to be bad. They already know that. They even quickly imitate dad’s swearing or mother’s nagging. Parents must work hard to teach children to be good, to have good attitudes and to behave themselves. If the parents don’t know how, it is unlikely the children will figure it out by themselves, hence generational sin.

The Bible talks a great deal about the sins of the fathers. God also says that even though we might be victims of ungodliness in our parents, we are still personally responsible for what we do. We can’t say, “I’m just like my mother” and stop there. Instead, those sins need to be personally identified, confessed, and renounced.

Lifestyle patterns can also be issues. I was ill as a child and my parents were told I would die before my sixteenth birthday. They did not raise me to live. I was pampered and spoiled. Consequently, I didn’t realize or understand how to equip my children for life. While they do well in some areas, they feel the same handicap I did when I grew up—unequipped. Now my granddaughter is overwhelmed to the max with that generational problem. She feels she is not equipped for life and is terrified by its challenges.

So what now? Without realizing it, my loving parents let me down; however, the Lord promises to lift me up (Psalms 27:10). He teaches me how to live, and even though my children are grown (and not always interested in mother’s advice), the Lord has His hand on them. I can pray, acknowledging those generation sins and issues, confessing them to the One who forgives. I must also renounce them in my own life.

Experience says this opens the door of grace. When sin and failure are confronted, God is more than willing to pour out a blessing. When I bring to Him the sins of others, even those whose hearts have become ‘tough’ in their efforts to compensate rather than take their needs to Him, He gets to work and helps them see their need, and His solutions.

Not everyone will agree on the idea of generational sin, but Christians know that lives change through intercession. God answers prayer. Because I’d do anything to free my family from the bondage of sin I’ve handed down to them, I am praying.