THE POISON CHALICE

I saw the following musing on a social media site:


“Pain travels through family lines until someone is ready to heal it in themselves. By going through the agony of healing, you no longer pass the poison chalice on to the generations who follow. It is incredibly important, and sacred work.”


My mother used to sit down at the dinner table, and if she wanted the ham or creamed corn, she would nod her head a couple of times in the direction of said kind of food. My wife has, more than once, reminded me that I do exactly the same thing as my mother. As a result, I have wondered how many generations of my mother’s family before her have nodded for their food at the dinner table.


Of course, the foregoing tendency which I have described is, in the scheme of things, rather strange, but also completely innocuous. However, we all possess and display tendencies and traits which I am convinced have come down to our current generation from foregoing generations, and which aren’t so innocent and innocuous.


Recently, I thought a thought related to the so-called “Sins of the Fathers” of the Old Testament. And that thought centered around the tendency of many fathers and mothers to pass down some pretty undesirable traits, as the result of poor role-modeling. I am convinced that far too many people in our day and time have been impacted and inflicted by the role modeling of their parents, and ultimately by succeeding generations before them.

As a counselor I find the initial paragraph of this blog nothing less than compelling. (Go ahead. Read it again). 


I am ‘into’ biblical passages, teachings, and resources related to Mindsets. I have often said, “Mindsets are where it’s at.” Scripture tells us that, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7) and “Commit your works unto the Lord, and then your thoughts will be established” (Prov. 16:3) and “Take off the old man (mindset). Put on the new man (mindset).” (Eph. 4:22,24)


Time and space would fail me to write a thesis about this topic. Suffice it to say that I encourage my clients to consider the potential unhealthy role modeling which has been passed down to them by preceding generations, and to, as it were, pour out the poison in their generational chalice.


Someone must make the decision to change the course of successive generations, to identify unhealthy thinking and behaving which needs attention, and to embrace new and healthier mindsets, and the actions which flow out of them.

by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending