A parent’s mistakes are often reflected in the lives of their children. In the life of King David (2 Sam 15:1-13) he saw a bitter replay and amplification of many of his own past sins through his son Absalom. God had warned David that his family would suffer because of his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah and seeing this actually happen horrified David.

God forgives but he does not always cancel the consequences of our sins.

Absalom had a lot of great qualities and would have made a great king and the people loved him. But he lacked the inner character and control needed in a good leader. His appearance, skill, and position did not make up for his lack of personal integrity.

David’s sin took him away from God, but repentance brought him back. In contrast, Absalom sinned and kept on sinning. Absalom relied on the advice of others, but he was not wise enough to evaluate the counsel he received.

Can you identify with Absolom? Do you find yourself on a fast track toward self-destruction? Absalom would not own up to his mistakes and admit he was wrong or even acknowledge he needed forgiveness. Forgiveness cannot be experienced until we genuinely admit and confess our sins to God. Absalom rejected his father’s love and ultimately God’s love.

How often do we miss entering back into God’s love through the door of forgiveness?

Don’t allow the sins of your parents, rob you of your promised inheritance. God wants to change the course of our lives so that the mistakes of our parents end with us. Can you imagine your kids repeating your sins and so on? When will it end?

It ends when we surrender our life to Christ and we take personal responsibility for the decisions we make for our own lives and the lives of future generations. Stop blaming the people around you and remember that God has the power and is able and willing to help us overcome any situation as long as we are willing to live a life that honors God.

Do you know what honors God? If you don’t know, start reading the bible so that you begin to get a better understanding of who God is and what he expects from all of us. He wants to give us peace, joy and happiness, just to name a few things. Everything he asks of us is to help us, not him. God does not need our help, he wants to love and care for us because he knows that we need him.

Mistakes can be forgiven, the question is, can you put your pride aside and acknowledge that you need God’s forgiveness so that you can forgive yourself and those that have hurt you!

Read Romans 12: 1-21. If you can take the advice of the apostle Paul as written in Romans, you are on your way to seeing some incredible changes in your life.

God bless and keep you strong.