The death of a patriarch and generational sin... part 2

As I pull into the parking lot of the hospital I’m greeted by my parents, “He just passed 5 minutes ago.”  Five hours, and I missed him by 5 minutes!  I tried to figure out why God would let that happen.  I comforted my father, and we walked into the hospital.

As I walk through the halls I was greeted by many family members and also did the best I could to comfort them.

Finally, I walked into his room.  There was my grandmother.  They'd been married almost 70 years.  I really didn't know what to say, other than “I’m sorry Grandma, I love you.”  As I felt her shake in my arms, I was confused.  I knew the whole story.  I knew the abuse.  After all that, she was still committed to him.  I was proud of her.  She lived her wedding vows.  She held on to the extreme.

(Please, don’t hear me say I think women should stay in a physically abusive relationship.  I don't.  I do think it’s possible for a spouse to separate, and stay committed to a marriage and it’s healing.  People heal and get better with love.  That’s not what this post is about.)

I let go of my Grandmother and walked over to the bed where my grandfather’s body lay, weak and broken, withered to nothing.  At first, rage came over me.  I thought... “You’re not so damn tough now, are you?”   I surveyed the room, and took inventory of the damage I knew about.  I internalized, and took inventory of my own wounds.  I laid my hand on him.  I can remember repeating over and over... “I forgive you”.

As I helped put him in the ground a few days later, I looked over his grave.  I forgave him one last time, and made two promises to him...
First, your sin and abuse dies with me.  I will not let it pass to future generations through me.  Second, I will do everything I can to save my father and reverse the damage you've done to him.

This is the true battle of generational sin.  We look to our parents and the example they set, it has a huge impact on the way we see the world.  The odds are good, what we see we’ll repeat, unless we’re committed to changing it.

Once I was able to recognize general sin for what it was, I attempted to study it, and quickly learned there's actually very little teaching on the topic. Sure, if you google "generational sin" or "generational curses", you'll find some websites. You might even find a book or two that's been written. What I'm talking about though, is consistent pulpit preaching and teaching.

How is that possible?!!!! We've been dealing with this thing from the days of Adam and Eve! Why isn't there more out there? We've dropped the ball!

There are consequences to our actions in the here and now.  These consequences can even be permanent.  No doubt, God uses mistakes and sin to bring about good.  He specializes in taking that which is weak and broken, making it even better than it was, but it will never be "the same". (Read my post scars on the matter.) How do we make that journey? That's what I'm talking about.

We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), and that faith itself is a choice of free will. In this faith, the decision to except Christ and forgiveness it brings is the answer.

Here’s how I like to proceed.  I will lay out the Biblical verses confirming generational sin, then the verses saying we are not permanently condemned by generation sin, and then finally how to get from the first to the later...