It Ran In Your Family…Until It Ran Into You
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
—2 Corinthians 5:17
We’ve all inherited things from our family line—both good and bad. An AncestryDNA test might tell you where you come from geographically, but it won’t reveal the deeper inheritance: patterns, tendencies, and ways of living passed down through generations.
Some of those are blessings—faith, strength, healthy habits.
Others… not so much—sinful patterns, brokenness, and destructive habits.
But here’s the good news: the dysfunctions may not have started with you… but they can end with you. You may not get to choose your family’s past, but through Christ, you can shape your family’s future.
When you were born-again, you got a new bloodline, you got a new nature!
You are a new creation in Christ.
Declare this out loud:
“It ran in my family…until it ran into me!”
You may have inherited your family’s dysfunctions — but you don’t have to repeat them.
This is about more than you. This is about your kids. Their kids. Their kids’ kids.
Why this matters:
If you don’t confront it — you’ll continue in it.
But if you surrender it — God will rewrite it.
This isn’t just about your healing.
It’s about your household’s legacy.
In 1900, A.E. Winship released a study comparing Jonathan Edwards, the preacher and theologian from the First Great Awakening, and “Max Jukes,” another family group around the same time whose lives were marked by poverty, crime, and addiction.
Sociologist Richard L. Dugdale first studied the Jukes family in 1877. The family line later caught national attention when 42 men in New York’s prison system were all traced back to Max Jukes.
(Source: YWAM family ministries)
Here’s a comparison between each family’s legacy:
Jonathan Edwards’ legacy includes:
285 college graduates,
100 clergymen,
100 lawyers,
80 public office holders,
75 military officers,
65 professors,
60 doctors,
30 judges,
13 college presidents,
3 mayors,
3 governors,
3 U.S. Senators,
1 dean of a medical school,
1 dean of a law school,
1 U.S. Vice-President.
Jukes’ descendants included:
440 who were physically wrecked by addiction to alcohol,
310 paupers,
190 prostitutes,
150 other convicts,
60 thieves,
7 murderers.
Of the 1,200 descendants that were studied, 300 died prematurely.
Here’s the question:
What kind of legacy will you leave behind?
One man chose Christ, and it impacted his family line.
Another lived in sin, and it impacted his family line.
Make no mistake—there is a generational impact, both good and bad. Our forefathers' choices impact our lives, and our choices will impact future generations.
But in Christ, there’s an open door out of sinful patterns and tendencies and into righteousness and blessing!
Say it again:
“It ran in my family, until it ran into me!”
Here are some things to remember when shifting your family line and leaving a godly inheritance:
1. You are not bound to your family’s dysfunctions
Patterns of sin can be passed down, but each person is responsible for their own actions.
And through repentance and relationship with God, sinful and destructive cycles can be broken.
Health specialist Barbara O’Neill says, regarding physical health, “Genetics loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”
In other words, you may have been handed something dysfunctional, but you can make intentional choices that bring positive change.
Christ is the open door out of your family’s dysfunction.
At the cross, Jesus took your sin—and your family’s sin—upon Himself. When He died, the old nature died with Him. And when He rose, He brought new life with Him.
Through Jesus, you don’t have to repeat the patterns of the past. You can receive a new nature, walk in righteousness, and live the life God intended for you.
Turn to Him. Count your old self dead. Step into the new life He offers.
(see Romans 6:4–11, 1 Peter 2:24, Ephesians 4:22–24)
Declare this:
“Christ is the open door out of my family’s dysfunction.
In Him, the old ends—and the new begins.”
2. Don’t overlook the blessings in your bloodline
In the same way, recognize that not everything we’ve received from our families is negative. There are gifts, talents, and healthy tendencies that we receive from our family line.
Some families have passed down an inheritance of faith:
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” (2 Timothy 1:5 NIV)
We recognize that God is the giver of gifts, but we can also see that families have gifts that seem to run in their family line.
Don’t get too down on your family.
Ask God for eyes to see what good things you’ve inherited from your family line and be grateful for them.
3. You’re a new creation in Christ
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
—2 Corinthians 5:17
You may have been handed down a momentum of sin in your family line, but in Christ, you have a new family line with a new momentum of righteousness.
Your earthly father may have handed down some sinful tendencies, but now you have a heavenly Father who has righteous tendencies!
Discover who you are in Christ.
Discover what you have in Him.
Embrace your new identity.
4. Put off the old, put on the new
While we’ve been given a new nature, it doesn’t mean we don’t have to wrestle with the old tendencies. The work of the cross does not absolve our personal responsibility.
We receive what Christ has done for us. Then we enforce it in our lives.
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
—Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV
This is why we need repentance, renouncing, and discipleship.
You know what sin is through:
The conviction of the Holy Spirit
The Scripture
Once identified, you know what to put off. Submit that to Christ and His work at the cross.
We repent—which means we turn away from sin.
We renounce—which means we have nothing to do with it anymore.
We get discipleship—we follow Christ and His ways, denying our flesh.
Then, intentionally and daily, put on Christ:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
—Colossians 3:12-14 NIV
Conclusion
Remember:
You can change.
You can break the pattern.
You can leave a legacy.
Christ is your way out—and your way forward. Step into freedom with Him.
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
—Galatians 5:1 NIV
It ran in your family…until it ran into you!
Question:
What pattern is God calling you to break today?
What blessing is He calling you to pass down instead?