Breaking Chains and Breaking Ground

While enduring a visit...wait, that's not right (Philippians 2:14, Philippians 2:14)

While having a visit from some family this past day or two I realized and processed through (even MORE?) stuff.
Where does this processing end anyway? Oh, that's right. Eternity. Guess I better buck up.

I realize that the incredible undermining, lack of respect for parental authority, moral lacking and downright manipulation that borders on abuse, can actually be GOOD for us. Lol

Well, let me say at least that I viewed it in it's proper perspective.

While processing through it I realized that the exposure my kids have to it while not preferable, is still a learning process. It is not something I can protect them from a regular exposure to, like public school for example, because they are immediate family and I have to at least occasionally see them. Lol
But I can view it as less of a "rape" (sorry for the strong word but that's really how we feel about it) and more of a wisdom builder.

Let me explain.

The world STEALS innocence. It TAKES without asking. It DESTROYS slowly. It is an invasion.
There is no redeeming benefit. No underlying thing that is redemptive.
It is no gentleman.

But the lessons learned in the Christian family, even from the extending bad influences, can be wisdom building. I was discussing with Jeff that we are pioneers. We are groundbreakers and chain breakers.

And someone has to pay that first price. That someone is us.
We are the first in both our highly dysfunctional families to give our lives to the Lord for real.
To really strive to walk it out, you know?
So there is going to have to be someone who will have to look back to the previous generation and say, "ewwwwww". You know, someone who has to deal with it.
(don't make me qualify, of course we LOVE them and do all we can to live in peace.)

But because we are willing to be those people and our children are following, one day in a generation or two, we will begin to look back and say, "Hmph, not bad."
And in 5, 6, 7 generations, Lord willing, even we will be a distant memory and the ones before us even more distant. The memories will start being of extended family that loved the Lord, married well, had Godly offspring and raised their families to the Glory of God. The mistakes and lines of generational sin will become less and less apparent.

The more serious we take our calling, the quicker we push future generations into victorious living and into the very hands of God.

So while we do everything we can to protect our children from the intense dysfunction of our extended families, we are blessed by being able to have deep conversations with them about it. We are blessed that they recognize the counterfeit from the genuine because of their genuine living. We are blessed that they are being raised to be women of influence instead of blind followers. We are blessed that their everyday life has already built foundations strong enough to withstand family that is desperately in need of the Lord.

It is intensely hard to deal with this... but we can pay the price. The thought of the eternal ramifications on our grandchildren and beyond is well worth it and makes it less painful to bear.