Part Two: Generational Curses: Will You Break the Curse or Will You Let the Curse Break You?

Part Two: Generational Curses: Will You Break the Curse or Will You Let the Curse Break You? 

Hi, my ForevaBlack babies, I am back and ready to deliver part two of our last conversation. We'll discuss parenting styles, educational limitations, and fear of success. We’ll get into the spiritual side of it all; generational curses can be spiritual bondage, and I will later explain why.  

Parenting styles can be generational curses because we tend to parent how we were raised; for example, if you were brought up in an environment where it was toxic you will pass that parenting style down to your children. The cycle will continue, even if it isn’t intentional. It will cause emotional harm and disconnection. That’s why I encourage everyone to raise their child in a great environment, filled with love, trust, peace and honesty; it creates a better relationship and breaks those old cycles and curses. Educational limitations are where most families or individuals believe that they cannot make it to college or make it to a certain level of education. They believe that no one else can achieve it because they did not achieve it, and that is not true. In the African American community, we tend to place our progress onto someone else’s; just because we did not make it to a certain point does not mean that they cannot or that we couldn’t. We choose to give up and allow the odds to beat us sometimes when we need to be beating the odds. Discussing educational limitations leads me to my next point, which is the fear of success. I know we may wonder... who would fear success? It’s more common than you think. There are a few reasons why fear of success in so big in African Americans and why it leads to being a generational curse. I’ll name three reasons why there is a fear of success, although there are more than a few; first reason, racism and stereotypes. Our history consists of racism and being stereotyped by others, and this caused a lot of us to have internalized racism; being exposed to negative stereotypes for year leads to doubt in yourself. A lot of African Americans start to see themselves negatively, how other people see them and it limits their ability and potential. Another reason is the fear of failure, with success we know that everything we do will not always make it... failure is a part of life but we fear that when we are carrying everyone else on our shoulders that we can’t fail; the expectations of others becomes a burden, and it leads to anxiety because you don’t want to let anyone down in your family. Another huge reason I would like to point out is survivor’s guilt, some of us in our community will feel guilty if we leave our family “behind”. If we choose to do and want better for ourselves, we will be forgetting about our families and leaving them stuck where they are. We will tend to self-sabotage things and great opportunities because you feel as though you have betrayed your people, and that is not the case. Always do what is best and right for you, you cannot stay stagnant because your family doesn’t want to. It isn’t about leaving them behind, it is about wanting better and moving forward.  

Now, I want to get into how these things and generational curses can be considered and seen as spiritual bondage. In a spiritual sense, generational curses are reoccurring negative patterns, attitudes, and behaviors that are passed down through families, causing dysfunctional cycles. These curses are frequently seen as spiritual bondage, tying people and entire families in terrible legacies. In many spiritual traditions, particularly Christianity, generational curses are associated with the consequences of sin or disobedience to God and are passed down from generation to generation, as shown in passages such as Exodus 20:5. These inherited sins and harmful habits can perpetuate patterns of wrath, addiction, poverty, and fear, tying families together spiritually and making it difficult to break free without divine intervention. These curses can cause mental strongholds, deeply ingrained habits of thinking that limit people's potential and keep them stuck in self-destructive activities. When earlier generations have experienced failure or suffering, these beliefs can take root in the minds of descendants, leading them to predict the same results. This spiritual bondage takes the form of dread, particularly fear of success, which prevents people from completely experiencing the freedom and abundance offered by God. Generational curses are also viewed as a sort of spiritual warfare, in which demonic powers or unresolved emotional wounds from the past hold people prisoner. Soul links and unhealed trauma can be passed down through generations, resulting in spiritual baggage that attaches people to their predecessors' grief and mistakes. When this trauma is not healed, it operates as a barrier to spiritual growth, joy, and fulfillment, preventing families from breaking free from the bonds of their past. This spiritual tie prevents families from experiencing the full extent of God's plan. It inhibits their spiritual growth, making them feel trapped in cycles of sin, fear, or failure. Breaking these curses requires spiritual battle, including prayer, fasting, and deliverance. Scriptures such as Galatians 3:13 remind believers that Christ has rescued us from the curse, providing a way to break free from these patterns. Individuals can transcend spiritual bondage through faith, repentance, and healing, allowing them to live in God's freedom, free of the past and open to future gifts. 

Lastly, I would like to end this blog off with encouragement; breaking free starts with YOU. No one else, at some point these curses have to be broken. Why not let it be you? Think about it like this, do you want your future children and grandchildren to deal with this? Always remember that God’s grace is stronger than any curse, and he has equipped us with the tools to fight through this. The trip may be difficult, but each step toward healing and progress is a step toward liberty, not only for you, but also for those who follow you. Your tale can be about redemption, healing, and hope. The cycle ends with you. I love you my ForevaBlack babies, and so does God. See you on the next blog!