FAMILY LIFE at Desert Springs - a place where we can share the heart of our church family; prayers, praises and important announcements. Be sure to check-in often to see what is happening. If you have a prayer request or praise, please submit by contacting me, Laura Keener, Frontline Director at Desert Springs....760-568-3646 or lkeener@desertspringsfamily.org.
FAMILY LIFE at Desert Springs - a place where we can share the heart of our church family; prayers, praises and important announcements. Be sure to check-in often to see what is happening. If you have a prayer request or praise, please submit by contacting me, Laura Keener, Frontline Director at Desert Springs....760-568-3646 or lkeener@desertspringsfamily.org.
Laura's Reflection: Be All You Can Be by Gary Morland
Our family was not destined to a straightline repetition and payment for one person’s sin.
Your family isn’t either.
The consequences of what happened upriver have altered our family, but they have not trapped us into a destiny.
Your parents and family are in the boat with you.
You get into a family that’s already flowing. They had parents and a family too, and on back it goes.
If we can blame our mom or dad or anyone else in our immediate family for how things turned out, they can do the same. If we pass something upriver, they can too. And on back upriver the blame goes.
Much of what our families become is because we’re part of what has gone before. We can’t escape it:
“I may __________, but so did my dad; I learned it from him.” True.
“My parents never taught me __________.” True.
“My mom never showed me __________.” True.
“My dad never __________; he always just __________.” True.
“My uncle __________ me, and so now I’m __________.” True.
These things are all true, and they may have affected us and changed the course of our lives.
But if I blame my family, and push responsibility for who and what I am onto them, the blame can go all the way upriver.
It goes downriver too.
From Brenda and me, through Myquillyn and Chad and Emily and John, through their kids and families, and their kids’ kids and families, the river flows. Each of them could pass the blame back to Brenda and me.
Most of us probably don’t consciously blame previous generations for how we turned out. But it’s a very subtle temptation because it gives us an excuse for our faults and failures.
It takes a lot of courage to face who we are and a great deal of responsibility to deal with it.
Blame lightens the load a little bit, doesn’t it? Saying to yourself “If only this hadn’t happened” sometimes makes life more bearable.
But blame is irrelevant. It only matters if you want an excuse for not taking responsibility for yourself.
It is helpful to understand the things that have contributed to your story, to what happened in your family upriver. These things may help to explain who you are today.
But it is your fault alone if you allow those circumstances to keep you from being all you can be.
You can stop the chain reaction.
Accept your family (or lack of one) as within God’s overall will for you, and accept His ability— and promise—to use it for good. Then let Him.
My dad’s dad (Pop) was an alcoholic. My dad was an alcoholic. I am an alcoholic. My children are not alcoholics.
If God can stop that chain with me, He can stop whatever is plaguing you with you.
All we have is our part of the river, right here, right now.
We put a canoe into this family story when we are born, and our canoe pulls to shore when we die.
But what we do while in the river—our actions, attitudes, words, values, accomplishments—will roll on.
They are our legacy.
PRAYING FOR OUR BROTHERS & SISTERS IN CHRIST
Our family was not destined to a straightline repetition and payment for one person’s sin.
Your family isn’t either.
The consequences of what happened upriver have altered our family, but they have not trapped us into a destiny.
Your parents and family are in the boat with you.
You get into a family that’s already flowing. They had parents and a family too, and on back it goes.
If we can blame our mom or dad or anyone else in our immediate family for how things turned out, they can do the same. If we pass something upriver, they can too. And on back upriver the blame goes.
Much of what our families become is because we’re part of what has gone before. We can’t escape it:
“I may __________, but so did my dad; I learned it from him.” True.
“My parents never taught me __________.” True.
“My mom never showed me __________.” True.
“My dad never __________; he always just __________.” True.
“My uncle __________ me, and so now I’m __________.” True.
These things are all true, and they may have affected us and changed the course of our lives.
But if I blame my family, and push responsibility for who and what I am onto them, the blame can go all the way upriver.
It goes downriver too.
From Brenda and me, through Myquillyn and Chad and Emily and John, through their kids and families, and their kids’ kids and families, the river flows. Each of them could pass the blame back to Brenda and me.
Most of us probably don’t consciously blame previous generations for how we turned out. But it’s a very subtle temptation because it gives us an excuse for our faults and failures.
It takes a lot of courage to face who we are and a great deal of responsibility to deal with it.
Blame lightens the load a little bit, doesn’t it? Saying to yourself “If only this hadn’t happened” sometimes makes life more bearable.
But blame is irrelevant. It only matters if you want an excuse for not taking responsibility for yourself.
It is helpful to understand the things that have contributed to your story, to what happened in your family upriver. These things may help to explain who you are today.
But it is your fault alone if you allow those circumstances to keep you from being all you can be.
You can stop the chain reaction.
Accept your family (or lack of one) as within God’s overall will for you, and accept His ability— and promise—to use it for good. Then let Him.
My dad’s dad (Pop) was an alcoholic. My dad was an alcoholic. I am an alcoholic. My children are not alcoholics.
If God can stop that chain with me, He can stop whatever is plaguing you with you.
All we have is our part of the river, right here, right now.
We put a canoe into this family story when we are born, and our canoe pulls to shore when we die.
But what we do while in the river—our actions, attitudes, words, values, accomplishments—will roll on.
They are our legacy.
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