Step 1: We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies-that our life had become unmanageable.
January 4, 2007
Have you experienced any post-holiday blues – specifically the “jeans” blues? We’ve had the Thanksgiving through Christmas binging, and now our favorite jeans are snug. Don’t you just hate that? There’s another kind of blues too – the “genes” blues. We’re living during such an interesting time in history. Crime solving television shows like CSI have taught us that we can learn a lot just by studying the DNA unwittingly left at crime scenes. Cloning and genetic testing give us windows into information that no one could have dreamed of possessing a few years ago.
My brother’s kids were out playing in their driveway and someone got hurt. Blood was shed. My nephew, Robbie, a little tyke at the time, came running in the house, shouting, “Dad, dad, come quick. There’s DNA all over our driveway!” That’s a far different perspective then when we were kids and would get injured. We’d yell things like, “Mom, Tim threw a dart and hit Gary between the eyes! Blood is everywhere! I bet Tim’s in big trouble!”
With or without genetic testing, our genes have been supplying us with the potential for powerlessness for a long, long time. Recall the story of Hagar and her son Ishmael. Ishmael was the son conceived when Sarah gave Hagar (her servant) to Abraham (Sarah’s husband) so that a child might be conceived. Not surprisingly, barren Sarah gets pretty tensed up when Hagar gets pregnant. Hagar starts getting cocky with Sarah. Abraham is now stuck with an angry wife and a servant carrying his son. God steps in to provide for Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah and Abraham. But the seeds of anger and resentment have been sown – and they show up in the genes.
Genesis 25:12-18 gives us a glimpse into the DNA of Ishmael and his descendents, “And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.”
Scripture reading for today: Genesis 22 – 25
Thought for today: Like Ishmael, we have some genetic predispositions too. These inclinations leave us powerless; our lives become unmanageable. Research is revealing that even our personalities are shaped by our DNA. We’re learning that our environment and family systems may even alter our chromosomes! How weird is that? Does that leave you breathless? Do you look back into your family tree and tremble with dread? No need for all this fear! If we can acknowledge our powerlessness potential, it puts us in a perfect position to accept God’s generous response and saving grace. More on that good news tomorrow.
Thought for tomorrow:
Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. Philippians 1:19 The Message
Teresa McBean
January 4, 2007
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