Streams of Comfort

Family dynamics are never as simple as they appear to be. Not like those portrayed in cartoons. Growing up in a single parent household, my family did not look like most other children’s. I would often look at other families. Even though they looked like a “normal nuclear family”, they carried generational hate, grudges, and fights with them. It’s a burden that we all share no matter what kind of family you have. God calls us to break those cycles with His love. Those acts we consider unforgivable betrayals and disappointments seem insignificant. They pale in comparison to the love that God has wrought for us. It will not be a simple process. Slowly, with God’s grace, we can break those hateful cycles that darken our families.

So what if life was cruel to me?
–since it’s you that will pay for it.
You don’t get a second chance
–because I never knew what that meant.
I’m ruthless, you say, without cause.
–but why are you so soft?
These are the echoes of those who lost their battle
–and became generals in the next.

The day we see the light of Jesus we can end the war.
–altered irrevocably from the inside out.
So what if life was cruel to me?
–there’s a God in my heart that speaks only mercy.
You don’t get a second chance
–I’ve gotten so many you get a thousand.
I’m ruthless, you say, without cause.
–my hurt doesn’t justify me, only God’s righteousness.
These are the echoes of those who won their battle
–and became sons and daughters in the next.
Alice R., “Generational War”, 3/26/23