God is a God of love. Yet God is also a just God. God shows mercy on those who are repentant and He shows a strong hand of judgment on the unrepentant sinner. God's word says that we reap what we sow. The law of reaping and sowing is such that however much you sow, the yield is usually much greater than the single seed planted. When a single seed of sin is planted in the fertile soil of mankind's hearts, then the unfortunate circumstance is that the sin is multiplied many times over. The sin grows like a weed and takes over even that which is good. Sometimes innocent victims are hurt by the sins of others. Often, good people suffer the consequences of other's sin, much like Lot was vexed by the sins of the people of Sodom. We ask ourselves why innocent children suffer needlessly. If we look at the modern day example of childhood sexual abuse, we know that the innocent child is victimized by the sinful adult. The child suffers physically and emotionally because of the sinful actions of the adult. Often that child becomes an offender as well and so the sin is passed to other generations. Though not all who are abused choose to abuse others, and there is always a choice where sin is concerned, the sin can be harmful in many other ways through its aftereffects.
God's word tells us that the sins of the father are visited on the children to the fourth generation. For example, if a father is an alcoholic and his children experience frequent angry outburst and uncontrolled behavior patterns, then those children often experience what is now recognized as Children of Alcoholics Syndrome and repeat many of those patterns of behavior even if they choose not to drink. And their children will experience much of those behaviors as well and repeat the patterns unless there is some kind of intervention. Many times the intervention is God's mercy and grace, given through one of His people who have the conviction in their heart to make a difference in the lives of others. Most of the time, spiritual intervention is necessary for any permanent change in an individual's life, whenever generational curses are concerned. When people's lives are spiritually changed, that change affects every part of the believer's life. Through prayer and spiritual warfare, victims can be freed from generational influences.
It is not God who sends calamities on mankind, but they are the effects of mankind's own choice to sin. For example, if a husband chooses to be unfaithful to his wife and contracts a sexually transmitted disease such as herpes or aids, then transmits it to his wife, who then has a baby who in turn contracts the disease through the birth process, then it is a clear result of man's sin. Yet the innocent child has suffered the consequences of the father's sin.
Our sin affects everyone around us. Our sin can even affect creation. If someone throws a cigarette out of a car window that starts a forest fire, not only is she harming herself and others around her through second hand smoke, but she endangers all the life in the forest as well. Our sin often creates havoc in nature by our neglect and blatant disregard for God's creation. We may ask ourselves what about natural disasters like the recent tsunami and hurricanes and such? Sometimes God uses natural disasters to bring judgment on nations that refuse to serve Him. The Egyptian plagues in the Old Testament, is one example. Jeremiah 12 states that nations who refuse to worship Him will be judged, accordingly. Oftentimes God's own people may be hurt in the process, much like the Hebrews were during the plagues. They likely suffered hardships as well as the Egyptians. But it was necessary to bring about the greater good of their freedom. At times God allows trials and tribulations in our lives to bring about a greater good at a later date. The resurrection of Lazarus in scripture is another good example of this principle. Lazarus was allowed to die and his family was allowed to grieve in order to show mankind the possibility of the resurrection of life. Scripture tells us that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. This passage does not tell us that everything that happens will be good, but that for those who love God, He can and will bring all circumstances into line so that good things may come out of whatever events have occurred. As the author has been a victim of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence, I can attest to this fact. Through my own pain and suffering, God has created a desire in my heart to begin this ministry, Go Fish Ministries, a Christian advocacy group for victims of sexual and domestic violence. Through God's grace and my own efforts, I have established the plan for the ministry and have begun to implement some aspects of it. The greater good has come through my suffering, just as Christ's suffering on the cross gave us the hope of eternal life.
