Wholeness Healing Center

Generational Blessings

I looked around my cousin’s screened in porch at my aunts, uncles, and cousins catching up with one another at our annual family reunion. Just like every other time I have gathered with this part of my family, I was amazed by the courage, kindness, integrity, and humor represented. “Grandma and Grandpa must have done something right,” my sister whispered as she passed by.

I have heard so much discussion in recent years about generational curses: the idea that negative patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving are passed down from one generation to the next. It is not a new idea, whether from a Christian perspective (Exodus 34:7) or explained by an unbroken chain of learned behavior, or by changes to our DNA that happen through epigenetic processes (Mulligan et al., 2025). Whatever the pathway, there is no doubt that these patterns run in families. As important as it is to find ways to end the negative legacies, I believe it is just as important to recognize, nurture, and preserve the positive ones.

Sometimes, recognizing the special qualities in our own families that lead to resilience and well-being can be a challenge. Begin by asking yourself (and other family members) some of the following:
• What is important in our family?
• How do we solve problems?
• How do we celebrate milestones or accomplishments?
• How do we encourage one another?
• What family stories do we find funny?
• When do we spend time together?

These questions and many more can help us to begin to see our own family values, how we manage difficulties, and support one another. Some might call it a family culture. There will be answers to the questions that are not so positive – sometimes our humor may trend toward the sarcastic, or our celebrations fall short or belated, but somewhere in that messy picture of how our family functions, we find the positive legacies, the family blessings. These are the ones we highlight, make space for, and sacrifice to make happen. The things that will make our grandchildren whisper to one another, “Grandma and Grandpa must have done something right”.

If you would like to explore generational blessings and how to identify, nurture, and pass them on, check out future issues of Wholeness Healing Today.

*For those interested in a more thorough exploration of your family strengths, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln developed the American Family Strengths Inventory (https://www.goodmentalhealth.com.my/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/nick-stinnet-6-family-key1.pdf ). In the meantime, I will revisit this theme in a future article.

Works Cited
Mulligan, C.J., Quinn, E.B., Hamadmad, D. et al. (2025). Epigenetic signatures of intergenerational exposure to violence in three generations of Syrian refugees. Scientific Reports 15, 5945. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-89818-z