“My mom used to say certain things to me that really hurt. I promised myself I would never say things like that to my kids. But now I get mad, and I hear myself saying those very same things.”

Nancy Leigh DeMoss: When we don’t deal with our wounds and hurts God’s way, we tend to pass them on to the next generation. That’s why it’s so important to obey these words from Ephesians 4:31: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you.” But how?

The passage goes on to explain how to begin. “Forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (v. 32).

Do you have some unresolved hurts from your past? Take some time to make a list of the people who’ve wronged you. Then give that hurt to God, choose to forgive, and pass on something new to those who will follow in your steps.

With Seeking Him, I’m Nancy Leigh DeMoss.