Grounded!

Why? Why can’t I get better? Why do I stumble in the same ways doing the same things? Like a plane that can’t get off the ground, we often seem incapable of taking flight to the heights that are God’s intended place for us to live.

The biblical answer to that “Why?” is the law of sin and death—which is actually a combination of two spiritual laws: the law of connection and the law of heritage. Simply put, the greater the connection between two people, the greater the influence. Beyond just genetics, there is a spiritual connection between father and son, between father and grandson. It is very real and it wields a significant amount of influence.

In the midst of Ten Commandments passage, God tells us that the sins of the father are passed to the third and fourth generations (Ex. 20:5). When we are trying to get our spiritual plane off the ground and fly in the place of His glory, there is a spiritual weight pushing down on us. The sins of 150 years of family are a very real downward force. In addition to that, we are connected to our culture. The sins of the current generation also become a very real downward force. It is going to take some significant forward thrust for that plane to get off the ground!

The law of heritage is not just negative. For every strength, there is a corresponding weakness. For every weakness, there is a corresponding strength. Even a person who has a seemingly terrible heritage can find God’s intended purpose for his family by looking for the corresponding strength. A ruthless tyrant is a person of strength. God did not intend that strength to be used to dominate others, but to bless others through godly leadership. The bitter recluse obviously cared about relationship. He doesn’t seem to at the moment, but a person’s pain comes from the place of what he cares about. Some of the most uncaring people have the call of God on their lives to be nurturers of others. They just chose to live consumed by their own pain instead of helping others through their pain.

No matter how negative a person’s heritage seems to be, his plane can fly if he can connect to the purpose of God for his life—especially if he connects with others in ways to draw the strength he needs to be an overcomer. I see these kinds of changes happening in broken people day by day. I see people trapped in a dead end life, who finally make the choice to trust. In a “for one another” environment, there is incredible power. Even the addict has hope when he is able to connect with his purpose, and with those who will help him move toward that purpose.

It takes forward thrust for an airplane to get off the ground. Forward thrust means going for the goal—means stepping into our God created destiny. That destiny will look a whole lot like the passions of our heritage, hopefully minus the muck. Every strength has a weakness. Every call of God has a pitfall. To break out of the pit, we need the strength only God can give both directly from Him, and indirectly through the people He has put in our lives.

Are you ready to fly? Find your passion. Draw strength from God and others. Get started down the runway and the lift will come. As a culture, we have tried to find what is pleasing to us. Find what is pleasing to God and soar.