There's so much dysfunction in families today, it's crazy. In my ethics class, we talked about how what your ancestors have done and what habits had effects on you. It's just mind-blowing that generation after generation is continuing in the destructive lifestyles that might have initially broken up their family in the first place. It's true that when a young person sees something happen over and over, they become more likely to become an addict, an abuser or commit violent crimes.

Unspoken rules are all around us, even in our families we have them. Whether that be an attitude toward different cultures, getting loud if you want to be heard (yelling and screaming), or anything about suppressing emotions ("don't cry because you're a man," etc.) They are behaviors that family members do over and over and that becomes the norm for young kids who will eventually model what their family members do.

As much dysfunction and destruction that is the family unit today, there's so much that God has to say about families and how He can take and transform. Jacob basically started his own dysfunctional family from the beginning. His first marriage was to a woman he didn't love and then he married her sister. Talk about a rivalry. When Rachel, the woman he loved, finally had a child he favored that child (Joseph) over the others and then his brothers sold him into slavery.

Long story short, Joseph saw his brothers years down the road and didn't want them to recognize him so he disguised himself even more so they wouldn't see who he really was. God brought back Joseph's past because he wasn't dealing with it. He never had dealt with it. Joseph maybe thought that he could leave the past hurt behind him but God brought it back to him so that He could be glorified through it.

See... all God wants is your whole heart. When we don't take care of the past hurts we just end up hurting other people because there's still a wound there that maybe scabbed over but it never disappears and turns into a scar until we bring it to the feet of Jesus.

I know that no family is perfect and everyone has family baggage. I know that but just because you have baggage doesn't mean you need to carry those burdens around with you. He gives a greater grace, way more than we deserve.

This story of family dysfunction, pain, and hurt is so relevant in society today and the only way that we can truly overcome this type of pain is through Jesus. Bring it to Him and He'll heal whatever past hurts of family issues that have plagued you.