Reflection for June 5, 2014

"A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own."(Ezekiel 18:20)

Most of us would rather be judged by our own actions.  I know I like to.  I'd rather be known for who I am and what I've done.  I'm happy to be part of a team, nothing wrong with a group effort.  But I do not wish to ride on someone else's laurels.  I shouldn't get credit or undeserved benefit of the doubt based on family of origin.

 Luckily my parents were both good people and hopefully I didn't cause them too much grief.  I also know that I would have been miserable if I thought I couldn't catch a break because of the reputation of my parents.

This verse from Ezekiel sets a different standard for God's judgment on us.  Instead of children being punished for the sins of their parents up to some ridiculous number of generations, it was introduced the concept of individual responsibility.

While I'm thankful that God looks at me with infinite mercy and compassion, at least I know and trust that I'm accountable for my actions only.

However it is also true that outside of God, children sometimes do pay for the sins of their parents. Addictions, abuse, bad financial sense can wreak havoc on the lives of children through no fault of their own.  And sometimes those habits keep getting repeated generation to generation, until someone puts a stop to it.

And it is true that parents do suffer from time to time because of the choices their children make.  The suffering can happen because of fines imposed by courts, but more often just in the heartbreak of watching someone you love ruin their lives and the helplessness that you feel because there is nothing you can do to stop it.

While we are responsible for our own actions and the reward or consequence that goes with it, because of the interconnection we share with others we affect by those actions and are affected by the actions of others in sometimes profoundly joyful and sometimes profoundly painful ways.

Blessings,
Ed