You Aren’t Where You Came From…
06.11.23
“You can go anywhere, but you are where you came from.” This is a common phrase that has made its way through books, movies, music, whether a direct quote or implied. The idea is that no matter what you become, you cannot change your past. Now, this can of course be used as a way of saying we should remember our “roots” or our humble beginnings. But this sentiment can also be utilized in a way that is much more problematic. A threat.
Maybe for some, as they look on their past relationships, see example after example of lives of integrity put into practice. There may be a degree of a “legacy” that is carried with your family history when it comes to this idea of having a character of integrity. The thing to consider in this scenario is the temptation for us to root ourselves in the integrity of that legacy rather than in the character of God. Just like with the great characters of scripture, we are to guard our hearts from accidentally idolizing someone from scripture, or more personally someone in our lives, and placing them as the standard by which we model ourselves. If we do, we miss the point Pastor Travis makes about God’s character as the source of integrity, and any integrity we have to show in our lives is from God lovingly and undeservedly giving us grace.
On that note, there is also a flipside to this idea of legacies. What if the examples from our past or present are anything but a “legacy.” What the idea of always being “what you came from” feels like a trap that you can never escape from or a shadow you will never be able to outrun. Well, then you would have a lot in common with the biblical character Joseph. I cannot write the whole chain of events here, but I can tell you that at almost every turn in his life and lineage you see significant lacks in integrity. We also see how these lapses in integrity have done real damage to Joseph’s life and reputation. We see lies, betrayals, abandonment, which from the outside perspective would seem to be markers for a person destined for brokenness.
Does any of that resonate with our stories? Just like cracks in a foundation, even if integrity flaws are hidden or ignored, damage is the eventual result. If a lack of integrity is not exposed and addressed, it is only a matter of time before a fracture occurs.
Now, like Joseph, we are called to forgive. But that is not what I want us to focus on today. I want us to focus on how we can heal and learn from the place “where we came from.” Of course, I don’t have all the answers, but I will say what is not a good answer, pretending the integrity issues don’t exist. Again, if Jesus is the standard, we unfortunately know that this means that if our lives have been impacted by the lack of integrity of others, and we will then experience brokenness that God never desired for us to live through. But if we look at the example of Joseph, there is still a way for us to move on from what was (death) and into what we now can have (through Jesus.)
This brief example for a biblical framework for working through integrity issues from our past is borrowed from the book Emotionally Healthy Discipleship by Peter Scazzero (highly recommend.)
- Acknowledge how the blessings and sins (brokenness) of your family profoundly impacts who you are today.
- Recognize you have been birthed into a new family (the family of Jesus.)
- Put off the sinful patterns (patterns that lack Godly integrity) of your family of origin and culture and learn how to do life in the new family of Jesus.
As one last encouragement, the heart of this is not to minimize pain, cause more pain, or to even vilify your origins. And this is far from a quick prescription for each and every obstacle that has been thrown at us from the pains of our past. This is just a hopeful reminder that we are invited to invite Jesus (full character of God) into the process of healing, and at the very least reminding ourselves that the opening statement of this devotional itself lacks integrity. It is a lie. We are not just saved from our sins through Jesus, we are adopted into a new family, a new origin, and with that come the love and grace from God, and hopefully from each other, that we need to break those patterns that lead to death and celebrate our gift of new life.
(This devotional is not implying expertise when it comes to trauma or emotional/mental health. I encourage individuals to utilize professional counseling and therapy when necessary.)