In former times, our descendants lived much like us, attending to basic human needs, making life choices, and taking their direction from - what? Hmmm... Some took their cues from the stars, an allegiance to a nation, a king, a people group, or some other sundry point of reference. Our ancestors are not just an extraneous part of our current condition. Every place where they turned away from God set their course based, sometimes based on greed, prestige, or even mocking the need for a Savior. All of these ways may still be imprinted within us today.
Why?
Like farming, wherever a seedbed is left undisturbed, it will reap the same harvest. This is the principle of sowing and reaping, and our heritage is not exempt from this standard.
Our very DNA confirms this fact. We understand family traits and genetic codes well through science and pass them along to the next generation. We can’t just wish these traits away or resolve them by our salvation to the Lordship of Christ. As lovely or unlovely, those traits can only be removed by closely examining our agreements with those decrees made long ago.
To intentionally nullify old social or iniquitous generational contracts, they must be replaced with new content from a different source. What has been sown into the core of our being by our heritage will bear fruit.
How can you know if there is a negative trait in need of removal?
Are you easily distracted, drained by continuous devouring patterns that persist despite attempts to correct them? Are there repeated events that keep happening despite your best intentions? Left dormant, this cascade of patterns of repeated reaping will leave a person feeling lost, hopeless, and stuck.
To make a meaningful and purposeful transition into this next year, inventory your actions and responses over the prior year. This process will give you renewed momentum and understanding of the significance of the statement, “return to Me” as given to us in this verse.
“Ever since the time of your ancestors, you have turned away from My decrees and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?” Malachi 3:7
Many will reflect on the route taken over this passing year in these final days of the year. Your response to key events can show you various areas where there's a gap, where your vision may be too small regarding how God intends to achieve your destiny, hopes, and dreams.
Over the past two years, I’ve been studying the word TIME in the Bible. This is an eternal word created by God as a fundamental part of the fabric of life. My study has produced incredible insight, as have some of the blogs you’ve read. It's helped my vision to be enlarged. I’ve grown in understanding and meaning and become more attuned in my work and personal life with a treasure of a good harvest of grace and love for myself and others and a deeper relationship with Jesus.
The plus found is that some of my ancestors were really amazing. One among them was Louis Hébert (on my Father’s Mother’s side). Louis is listed as the first apothecary and European farmer named to have inhabited Nova Scotia, Canada. Later, he was named for the Hébert River…and then there are the scoundrels – I will leave those stories to your imagination.
When you consider your past's value and treasure, you will likely find both the tragedies and triumphs. Reconciling these realities unlocks alternate pathways for yourselves and new ways forward. Holding space for old habits to be recognized and hidden treasure available to you will help address some of your most difficult questions. Our course direction is based on the map we use as our source.
Each of us brings an offering in and through our lives – whether we recognize it or not, our daily decisions will take us in a particular direction. Our ancestors have helped shape us. A part of your and my design is stamped in us by their choices.
So, what do you want to have as a harvest this coming year?
The wealth of your person is a priceless value stored within the rooms of your heart. It’s only too late to be inspired by a reframing of your timeline in 2025. All it takes is a willingness to partner with God regarding your history and request He brings a fresh, new perspective.
Some may say, “my story doesn’t hold much in the way of uniqueness”. Perhaps you were adopted, not ever knowing your birth parents. God desires to enrich each one of our heritages with His extraordinary magnificence. We are pre-packaged from God with special attributes, not just from what’s been learned but also from the amazing cache of hidden treasure passed down from generation to generation. There are some good traits and some not-so-beautiful.
Have some of the ways you act been overlooked, perhaps even by you?
A willingness to be with others in need, a desire to do things with excellence, an ear to hear a songbird wherever you go, a drive to complete what’s been started, a way with just ‘knowing’ how to fix an engine or the joy of never meeting a stranger. Others may have nurtured these attributes when you were young, but the ongoing ability and natural bent towards them throughout the years... in both good and bad times - is just you!
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