Daily Wisdom 07-04-2002 When It Hurts To Copy Your Father

< July, 2002 >

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

When It Hurts To Copy Your Father

Our daughter was just a toddler, like her son Jordan is now. I hope she can make sure he doesn't do what she did one day. Lisa would often talk with me while I was getting ready in the morning. I'd be brushing my teeth, shaving, and combing my hair. But one morning, unbeknownst to Karen, Lisa got in the bathroom, stood on something, and got the blade razor that I shaved with. When her mother walked in, Lisa was stroking that razor across her face, minus any shaving cream - and leaving some serious scratches and scrapes behind.

All our daughter was doing was copying her father - and inflicting wounds as a result. That's a mistake a lot of folks - grownup folks - have made...copying their father, or their mother, and inflicting wounds as a result.

There are things our father and mother did, things they said, that we were determined not to repeat when we had kids. Well, so much for that good intention. All too often, the longer we live, the more we sound like or act like our father or mother - in ways that we never wanted to repeat. We know how much thosethings hurt us, and, in spite of ourselves, they are now hurting our children. That same temper, that same critical spirit, the same manipulating, guilt tripping, harsh words, or selfishness.

It seems like we're almost powerless to change the dark side of us that we hate, especially what was handed down to us by what I call "family sins". If we could have changed these things, we would have by now. Which makes our word for today from the Word of God really, really good news. It's in I Peter 1:18-19.

God says, "You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers." In other words, there's actually hope of changing, of actually getting rid of some of those "empty ways" handed down to us by our father or mother. How does this "redeeming" happen? The Bible goes own to say "you were redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ." So there's a connection between my family baggage and the violent death of Jesus Christ on the cross?

All the connection in the world. Because all this dark stuff inside us - whether it's from our past or from our own choices - is wrapped up in God's word for it - "sin". And our sin is what Jesus died for on the cross - to forgive it, to break its power, to make possible a relationship where Jesus comes right into your heart, in personality, and changes you from the inside out!

That's good news, not only for you, but for all the people you love. There's a Savior who stands ready to save you from the sin that's already done enough damage. The transformation begins when you reach out to Jesus and trust Him to be your personal Savior from your personal sin - which He died to make possible. If you've never begun your personal relationship with Him, you can do that right where you are. Find out more about how a relationship with God can be Yours for Life! If you're not sure you belong to Jesus Christ, and you'd like to make sure, check out YOURS FOR LIFE!

Doing what your parents did can cause a lot of scars, a lot of pain. But when you open up your life to Jesus, you have - for the first time in your life - the power to say, "It stops in this generation!"

Today's Daily Wisdom is written by Ron Hutchcraft, based on his popular radio broadcast,"A Word With You"."A WORD WITH YOU" daily devotionals are now available via e-mail. To subscribe send a blank email to:awordwithyou-subscribe@hutchcraft.com,or to request the "Yours for Life" booklet, fill out the form on this site:http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/yours/yflorder.html. Ron Hutchcraft Ministries has been on-line with Gospelcom since February, 1996, providingpractical answers to real life issues. (c) 2000 Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.PO Box 400, Harrison AR 72602