THE CYCLE

Two prominent sports stars are doing what they never thought they would do. We’ve all heard about Tiger Woods. His former high school sweetheart knew him when he was growing up and the most vulnerable, before he earned his fame and fortune. She has shared some interesting facts about their relationship saying that Tiger would call her up crying over his dad’s infidelities. He would say, “My dad is with another woman,” and that would be all he said.

Tiki Barber married his college sweetheart. They had been married for 11 years before he callously opted to trade her in for the young blonde, Johnson, a former NBC intern. Here is what makes it even more radical – they have two sons, ages 6 & 7, plus two newborns. Tiki grew up in a divorced home. His father left him and his brother when they were 4, and they never really saw their father. His mother worked a number of jobs to help the family survive.

Here are some quotes that Barber may now be regretting:

• "I don't give a [bleep] that [my parents'] relationship didn't work... Not only did [my father] abandon her, I felt like he abandoned us for a lot of our lives. I have a hard time forgiving that." (2004, New York Post)
• "What did I feel for my father? Not love or hate. Those emotions are too strong. It was something worse. Indifference. But in another sense, I realize that I still have hang-ups about not growing up with a dad. Maybe my life has been like that of other abandoned sons: a long search for a father figure." (2007, Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond)
• "[My greatest child-raising influence is] my mother. She was a single mother with no support from my father and sacrificed a lot of her life for my brother and me. She always found a way to provide and never left us wanting for anything." (2010, NY Metro Parents)
• "As men, we want to have pride, we want to stand up and beat our chest and say, 'We did this. We took care of our family.' When you don't have that, you want to hide a little bit, you want to run away... [The divorce rate is so high among high-income blacks because of] the core relationship. I mean, are you getting into a relationship because you really love and care and want to be with this woman, or just because you saw her at a club, and she looked hot – ‘Oh man, I got to get on that!'?" (2009, "A Father's Promise," MSNBC)
• "I want to be an honorable man, because that's what I want them both to be... My family is everything to me." (2007, Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond, via NY Post)

The Bible mentions “generational curses” in several places (Exodus 20:5; 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:9). It is so important that we understand and realize the power of things that are passed on through our family. We must ask questions with a desire to know the truth. What are the sins that are prevalent in my family background? They may be sexual sins, divorce, poverty, bankruptcy, victim mentality, poor relationships, rebellion against authority – the list could go on and on. The Bible specifically tells us that God does not hold children accountable for the sins of their parents (Deuteronomy 24:16). But they have a tremendous affect and influence on us.

The cure for generational curses is simple and clear. It is salvation through Jesus Christ. When we become Christians, we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). A child of God is no longer condemned (Romans 8:1). The cure for a “generational curse” is faith in Christ and a life consecrated to Him (Romans 12:1-2).

Break the cycle. Say it will stop with you, and do not allow it to continue to the next generation.