Not Far From The Tree...

Scripture:

Jeremiah 32:17-19 (NASB)

‘Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, who shows loving kindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The LORD of hosts is His name; great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds;

Devotional:

As the old saying goes “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”  As we grow from childhood we become our parents.  There are things my mom or dad use to say or do that I swore I wouldn’t when I grew up.  The funny thing is when my oldest two kids were little I would catch myself yelling out to them, as they ran out the door, “Close the door we are not…”  A saying I often will repeat is something my mom use to say to us, “Clear as mud.”  Of course not all habits and sayings that we inherit are bad.  Some can be very beneficial.  My dad would ingrain in us “If you are not going to do the job right, don’t do it at all.”  If you ask me that is a very wise statement.  Just don’t try to use that as an excuse not to do something.  I did once when my wife asked me to do something and it wasn’t pretty.

We can pick up bad habits and sinful traits from our parents.  We then turn around and pass them onto our kids.  The good news is that the cycle can be broken.  Through the grace of God we can instill in our children Godly traits and habits.  My parents passed several good qualities down to me, one of which is going to church regularly.  Nothing is too difficult for God.  When we feel we are faced with the impossible we need to reach out to God.  What is impossible for man is a simple task for God.  After all He is the one who breathed the heavens into being.  I think He can help us rid ourselves, and children, some bad habits.  Let us all find God’s grace, love, and mercy.  Let us pass them down to our children…