1. The blessings and sins of our families going back two or three generations profoundly impact who we are today. 2. Discipleship requires putting off the sinful patterns of our family of origin and relearning how to do life God’s way in God’s family
The Power of the Family
While we are affected by powerful external events and circumstances through our earthly lives, our families are the most powerful group to which we will ever belong to.
Genesis — Abraham and his generations — show how sins and struggles are passed from generation to generation
The Ten Commandments of My Family
What are these commandments? To what extent do I follow these commands over God’s commands? How do these commands follow me wherever I go.
Covid taught me to put family first — I appreciated family more. This is something that my mom and dad feel very strongly about, that we need to be there for our blood. This has made it harder for me to “leave” the family and live my own life.
Other values are good, such as being sensitive to other people’s needs, being a good host, and never being an inconvenience. But at the same time, this makes it hard for me to ask for help and pressures me to be quiet when a friend is doing something that bothers me.
Joseph - Modeling How to go Back to go Forward
1. Joseph had a Profound Sense of the Bigness of God
Joseph understood and reiterated God’s plan in his life. He recognized how God has used to such terrible trials for His good and the good of his family. And even during the trials, Joseph rested in God’s love and did not become insecure.
2. Joseph admitted openly the sadness and losses of his family
Joseph recognized the brokenness in his family. He expressed it. He never undersold or rationalized the suffering he went through. Yet at the same time he took leadership of his family to provide for them and assure them that God had used his suffering for their good — it was not their fault.
3. Joseph Rewrote His Life Script According to Scripture
Joseph was aware of the his past, and he did not let it define his every move. I also feel aware of my past, but I continue to follow the script it gives me.
[Joseph] opened the door to God’s future by rewriting [his past] with God
It has been said that the real measure of our sense of self is when we are with our parents for more than three days. At that point we need to ask ourselves how old we feel. Have we gone back to our patterns of behaving more in line with our childhood, or have we broken free from our past to live in what God has for us now?
Pastor Scazzerro put into words a flaw I have been feeling in myself. Throughout and after college, I would come home and find myself reverting to this weird immaturity that I thought was already gone.
4. Joseph Partnered with God to Be a Blessing
What I like the most about the story of Joseph is the largely unspoken, secret history with God he had built over the years, especially in his time has a slave and prisoner. Because of this intimacy, he was able to make the right decisions at critical times. I still often feel that I miss critical and daily opportunities to partner with God. I blame it on distractions, but it really is because I need to grow closer to God.
Our Need to be “Alone Together”
This whole thing of processing needs to be done in community. Important questions of reflection, “How do you experience me?” should be asked to trustworthy people who are close to me. This could be something I ask David