A Full Vessel: Your Environment

“Our environment either inspires who we want to become or challenges us on what we must avoid.” (Sarah Jakes Roberts in Don’t Settle For Safe)

There are habits, beliefs, and ways of being that people learn during their childhood that tend to grow with them. The result is the causing of cycles throughout generations in the family. Some of these habits, beliefs, and ways can be fruitful while some are not. Either way, what’s important is what is done once the generational cycle is identified. For myself, I grew up in a household where my mother did not show affection to my sisters or myself. She rarely gave us hugs or told us that she loved us. Another way of being that was a norm in my household while growing up was whenever someone had a disagreement they would go days without speaking to each other. Both of these aspects had effects that I carried into adulthood. The lack of feeling loved caused me to look for love in the wrong places. The avoidance of addressing issues that arose in the household caused me to feel uncomfortable having tough conversations as an adult. Because of the uncomfortably, I would avoid the conversations which in turn affected some relationships in my life.

When I became a mom I knew that I wanted better for my daughter. I did not want the generational cycle to continue with her. As the quote above highlights, your environment has a lot of weight on who you become. One thing I was sure of was that I could not do it alone. This is the reason why I chose to take a step towards a path that would change the trajectory of my daughter’s future by allowing God to step into my life and take over the wheel. Being a single parent alone is tough, the extra weight of carrying trauma from childhood does not make it easier. But trust me when I say that God has a way of healing and mending broken pieces. He provides you with the tools you need to create a safe and fruitful environment for your children even though you did not experience the same growing up.

Today I encourage you to seek God’s face and allow him to help you create an environment for your children that will cause them to have a fruitful livelihood. One thing God helped me realize is that my mom raised my sisters and I with what was her understanding of being a mom, which was limited. I say this because her parents died when she was seven years old which resulted in her being raised by older siblings. Hence is why she was only able to pour out what she received. When you let God take over your life, he supplies all that you may feel you never had and more. As he fills your voids and leads you, you have somewhere to draw from to fill your children.

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has annointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To counsole those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glrofied."                                                                                (Isaiah 61:1-3 NKJV)