“I’ll never change. I’ve always been like this. My father was a loser and now I am just following in his footsteps.”
My heart broke as her eyes gazed far away at an imaginary, (yet in her mind) inevitable future. Despite her belief in Jesus, her eyes seemed blinded to the truth of her heritage in Christ.
How about you? What voice are you listening to?
No matter what your earthy lineage, no matter your family of origin, when you receive adoption as God’s children, your trajectory changes. No longer are you destined to repeat your mother’s past or your father’s failures. You aren’t doomed to addition, or alzheimer’s, or adultery.
Your new life isn’t based on your family’s lineage, but upon His Life. You are a new creation; the old things have passed away and new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Life now within you is His Life, not your own. It is no longer you who live, but Christ lives in you (Galatians 2:20). The eternal life you have been given is not a mere extension of your own life. No, that life died when Christ died — not because you feel it, but because He declared it (Romans 6:6,8,11).
As you look into your future, you do not have to expect a propensity toward defeat. That is not how His Life operates. His future is one of triumph and victory, even in the midst of pain, sorrow, and your past.
We have a choice. Our future can be dictated according to our faith or according to our doubt (Matthew 9:29). We can either believe His life or doubt ourselves into the worst possible scenario (Psalm 106:15). Whether it is done to us according to His truth or our anxiety is up to us.
“He has made us to be a kingdom of priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1:6). This, then is our new heritage, called out ones of the Father. Our Kingdom heritage lies in being someone who stands between those who don’t know God and the One Who knows all. In whatever stage we find ourselves, young or old, our purpose remains the same: pleading with man for God and pleading with God for man.
“O Father, praise You for making me a new creation. You have told me not to call to mind the former things or ponder the things of the past. You are doing something new within me (Isaiah 43:18-19). Open my eyes (Matthew 20:33) to see how much stronger You are than my family traits. Increase my ability to faithe You (Luke 17:5). In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Photo by Traci Payne Photography.
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