If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. (Matthew 6:14 NLT)
Never harbor a victim mindset against your family members. They may have passed on to you a propensity or bent toward sin, but no family member, alive or in your distant past, can truly make you sin. Each of us has the freedom to choose how we will behave.
A family member may have passed on a genetic predisposition to a disease, but be encouraged. Scientists tell us that the majority of disease we experience is strongly related to our personal choices. You may have inherited a weakness toward cancer, for example, but you have a choice as to whether you will smoke, what you will eat and drink, how you will exercise, and the amount of stress you will internalize. These behavioral choices are just as potent, or more so, than your genetic predisposition.
Forgive your family members for the role they played in continuing a pattern of generational sin. Move forward toward generational blessing by taking responsibility for your own life.
Forgiveness is vital. It is not a suggestion to Christians—it is a commandment
