"Though you have made me see troubles,many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up."
Psalm 71:20 (NIV)
- There were some great questions brought up, here's two that I wrote in my journal - What blessings and curses does your lineage carry with it? What family troubles have you seen, what miracles of restoration?
- It brought up the subject of forgiveness. That's a subject God has been bringing to me a lot lately. In devotionals, in my quiet times, even in my mom's group - God's tapping me on the shoulder...saying "Forgive, as I have forgiven." In the devotion, this statement hit me hard - "We should not have unfinished business at the end of our lives, for we'll only pass it along to those who follow behind us."
- The lineage of Jesus is also brought up. His lineage wasn't perfect - but he was. This is to be an encouragement to us. Break the chains of brokenness and suffering in your family and chose to start a new lineage. A great heritage. "I choose to be a blessing in my family tree. What about you?"
Below is a prayer and some application steps. I hope it helps you as it helped me.
Dear Lord, please help me understand the people who came before me, and who I am today as a result. Lord, on this day, I choose to let go of those things which hold me back, and to search for the beauty in my family inheritance. Please use me to be a blessing in my family tree. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Ask God to remove any anger or resentment in your heart, and choose to forgive those who have passed along troubles to you. Choose also to forgive yourself.
Examine your family tree. If there are family members no one talks about, ask questions and break the silence where needed so true healing can begin.
Seek God when discerning where to go from here. Who do you want to be? Take full responsibility for the person you have become and choose to change those parts of you that are simply a result of past hurts.
Be a prayer warrior for your family, especially for those seen as "black sheep." Pray for your children and for all who will come after you. Pray for God to use you in a powerful way to positively affect their lives and lineage.
Reflections:
Whom in my family do I most take after? Who has had the biggest effect on my life?
What branches in my family tree are unfruitful? Which are full of life?
Is there any "unfinished business" I need to deal with?
Power Verses:
Isaiah 61:4, "They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations." (NIV)
Genesis 12:2, "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing." (NIV)
Blog written from inspiration from Proverbs 31 devotional.
Prayer, Application Questions, Reflections and Power verses from - © 2011 by Nicole Seitz. All rights reserved.
4 comments:
Hi Rachael, I read your blog often but I don't think I have commented in a long time. I like how the things you write about recently have really made me think, you know...
Forgiveness is also something that is very heavy on my heart. Very difficult! I go round in circles with it. How can you forgive someone who has really truly done you wrong (and gone to prison for it!), on purpose and without any remorse. Forgiveness is indeed very tricky... I hope you have better luck than me in this quest! I fear I will never get there : / but some people are better at this kind of thing!
Hi Becky,
Thanks so much for reading. And I'm glad things have been making you think. I've been moved lately and learning a lot through a mom's group i'm in. I'm really glad you commented.
Forgiveness is not an easy thing to do. And the truth is forgiveness is for us not the other person. Here's something I wrote down from my study "Forgiveness is a decision, a choice based on an act of will, not a feeling, done by faith before God, in which we give up our right to hold another person accountable for the wrong they have done us."
Becky, that's the most difficult part - letting go of our right to hold them accountable for what hurt they have done to us. God wants us to have peace but we can only have it once we set that person free.
Anyway, I have a lot more that I've learned. It doesn't mean it's easy - but "with God all things are possible." I will be praying for you as you walk down this road. Let me know if I can help at all!
Thanks for your reply, and thank you for your blog! I know I should comment more but I figure you know people read, even if we don't comment. It definitelty helps to hear other peoples perspective on these kind of issues. I don't go to a small group of any kind but I think I will in the future. I hear a lot of positive comments about small groups.
So is it cheating to say we don't have to forgive because it's not our place to forgive them, only God can forgive them? I think it probably is... I'll work on this a little more. I think it will take time, hopefully not another 6 years!!
Hello again Becky,
Yes - small group is awesome. You just have to find the group that works for you. I'm in a group of moms and that has been awesome. The church I go to offers these groups. If you live in GA - check it out www.northpoint.org, if not you can go here to find one of our strategic partners http://www.northpointpartners.org/ I hope that helps you :)
As fr the forgiveness thing, you just can't worry about the God and that person. That's the hardest part of forgiveness. You are letting go of YOUR right to hold them accountable. You are forgiving them for the hurt they did to you and then releasing it to God. Easier said than done. You can do it!
Thanks for writing - happy for the commentary :)
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