Ezekiel 18:1-4
“GOD’s Message to me: ‘What do you people mean by going around the country repeating the saying, The parents ate green apples, The children got the stomachache? ’As sure as I’m the living God, you’re not going to repeat this saying in Israel any longer. Every soul—man, woman, child—belongs to me, parent and child alike. You die for your own sin, not another’s.”
“Then another message came to me from the Lord: ‘Why do you quote this proverb concerning the land of Israel: ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste’? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you will not quote this proverb anymore in Israel. For all people are mine to judge– both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.”
Our family of origin stories must not be used as an excuse for sin. As did other cultures before us, ours is unraveling; abundance produced by the hard work of our predecessors poisoning us, giving rise to sloth, entitlement, and blame. All, even Christians, use emotional trauma to justify failure to thrive. Here the Word of God is clear. Whatever is in our past, we are responsible for moving through it and beyond to a full life. God offers healing, but are we truly willing? No matter what it takes? In my life, much of the healing process is God bringing me to this point of need. It took time and effort to remove all my little idols from the shelf and put them in the garbage. When I truly let go of them, transformation occurred.
Lord, keep healing me, making me whole. Probe me, push me, to remove the covering from my deepest wounds so you can do your work. Shape me to serve you and others. Fit me for an eternity with you.