I’ve been thinking a lot about generational junk and how unavoidable the whole thing is–that whole God will be able to “count the sins” of the father down through the generations. It’s made me wonder what it was like for Adam & Eve and their kids. I wonder how horrified Adam & Eve were to be able to see their own sins passed down. I wonder if their kids were ever overwhelmed with the brokenness in their family.
In case you haven’t figured this out yet, I translate everything into pictures/analogies. And over the years I’ve come to see people as made of glass and when someone/something breaks you, you’re left with these potentially lethal shards covering you, which means by definition, when you’re close to someone, you hurt them. It’s especially bad if your brokenness and theirs happen to match up so that you’re slicing open each other’s previous deepest wounds.
Adam & Eve sinned and became broken, leaving them with these sharp edges all over the place, which meant that they sliced open their kids. Their kids were then broken, meaning that they sliced open their kids, and on and on and on. Since family is one of the closest relationships you can have (as a child–I am all about that leave and cleave stuff as an adult), you end up having wounds. Thus, humanity has suffered an unbroken line of brokenness. Thank God that He’s able to heal our wounds! And to protect others/us from us/ourselves.
[Isa 61:1-4 NIV] 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
