31 Days of Hope Day 7

I love the picture of this tree.  You can see the branches are strong and sturdy. The size of the tree shows it's age. The roots are thick and I suspect deep. It reminds me of a family tree.  Filled with many generations of legacy's.  Some worthy of passing on generation to generation and some are twisted,  knotted, and diseased, not something you desire to pass along as a legacy to your children or grandchildren.

Do you have a good relationship with your family?  Did you grow up with dysfunction or grace?  Did your parents model mercy, grace, and forgiveness?  Or maybe your parents were simply "just there" to keep a roof over your head and they did not connect with you emotionally. Some of you may have been abused as a child and you didn't grow up with tender, loving, kind hands. Maybe your family relationships are somewhere in the middle of dysfunction and grace.

What are in the roots of your family tree?  While I know my parent's loved me and I had other family members who were involved in my life, there are things within my family tree that I would rather not pass along; things like alcoholism, anxiety, low self esteem, manipulation, teen pregnancy, anger, abuse, co-dependency, and divorce, these are a few things within my family tree.

I confess I have also passed down some of these undesirable things to my children.  I am divorced,  I was in an abusive unhealthy marriage for nine years, I have ptsd (post traumatic stress disorder) along with panic/anxiety, I had a teen pregnancy that ended with an abortion, I struggle with low self esteem and I struggled with fear for most of my life.

In confessing this, I will also tell you that I am married to a wonderful Godly husband now for fifteen years, and we have created a new legacy together for our family. While I can not undo certain things, I am able to make changes. Together with my husband along the promises, grace, mercy, and forgiveness of the Lord, we have taken some of the knotted, twisted, and diseased  roots and strengthened them and straightened them out, creating new life within a scarred root.

While there is no such thing as a perfect family nor a perfect parent, there is hope for a new legacy. The patterns, behaviors, and choices within our family tree do not have to be our legacy. We do not have to let yesterday define us....There is always hope!

Family Tree by Matthew West  click here to hear the song

You didn't ask for this
Nobody ever would
Caught in the middle of this dysfunction
It's your sad reality
It's your messed up family tree
And now you're left with all these questions
Are you gonna be like your father was and his father was
Do you have to carry what they handed down?

No, this is not your legacy
This is not your destiny
Yesterday does not define you
No, this is not your legacy
This is not your meant to be
I can break the chains that bind you

I have a dream for you
It's better than where've you've been
It's bigger than your imagination
You're gonna find real love
And you're gonna hold your kids
You'll change the course of generations

Oh, this is not your legacy
This is not your destiny
Yesterday does not define you
No, this is not your legacy
This is not your meant to be
I can break the chains that bind you

'Cause you're my child
You're my chosen
You are loved
You are loved
And I will restore
All that was broken
You are loved
You are loved

And just like the seasons change
Winter into spring
You're bringing new life to your family tree now
Yes you are, you are

Oh, this will be your legacy
This is will be your destiny
Yesterday did not define you
Oh, this will be your legacy
This will be your meant to be
I can break the chains that bind you

And just like the seasons change
Winter into spring
You're bringing new life to your family tree now