When the weight of past wounds threatens to anchor us in a cycle of suffering, where do we find the strength to break free? My mother, Susan Litchford, joins me, Martha Gano, in a poignant exploration of escaping the confines of destructive patterns and embracing the liberating truths of spiritual laws. Our heart-to-heart conversation traverses the shadowy valleys of repetitive negative behaviors, shedding light on the beacon of hope that is always within reach. We delve into scriptural wisdom, discussing the ripple effects of generational sin and the profound empowerment that comes from honoring our parents, with an emphasis on the transformative teachings of Matthew 18. For those feeling ensnared by their history, our dialogue promises a guidepost toward release and a brighter horizon.
Healing is a journey, and forgiveness is a powerful step on that path. This episode lays bare the distinction between forgiving and merely excusing hurtful actions, underscoring the significance of letting go of judgment and allowing a higher power to shoulder the burden. We share a moving family anecdote that starkly illustrates the real-life repercussions of trauma and the refusal to forgive, spanning generations and shaping destinies. As we unravel the threads of this narrative, we invite you, our listeners, to find parallels in your own life stories and to consider the steps toward your own healing and forgiveness. Join us, and let's walk together toward the light of understanding and personal peace.
When the weight of past wounds threatens to anchor us in a cycle of suffering, where do we find the strength to break free? My mother, Susan Litchford, joins me, Martha Gano, in a poignant exploration of escaping the confines of destructive patterns and embracing the liberating truths of spiritual laws. Our heart-to-heart conversation traverses the shadowy valleys of repetitive negative behaviors, shedding light on the beacon of hope that is always within reach. We delve into scriptural wisdom, discussing the ripple effects of generational sin and the profound empowerment that comes from honoring our parents, with an emphasis on the transformative teachings of Matthew 18. For those feeling ensnared by their history, our dialogue promises a guidepost toward release and a brighter horizon.
Healing is a journey, and forgiveness is a powerful step on that path. This episode lays bare the distinction between forgiving and merely excusing hurtful actions, underscoring the significance of letting go of judgment and allowing a higher power to shoulder the burden. We share a moving family anecdote that starkly illustrates the real-life repercussions of trauma and the refusal to forgive, spanning generations and shaping destinies. As we unravel the threads of this narrative, we invite you, our listeners, to find parallels in your own life stories and to consider the steps toward your own healing and forgiveness. Join us, and let's walk together toward the light of understanding and personal peace.
Speaker 1:
Do you ever feel like life can get too complicated and maybe even overwhelming? Yeah, me too, and it's okay. My name's Martha Gano, and in this podcast we're going to talk about life, love, faith, family relationships, all kinds of things, and we're going to drink from what God wants to pour into us, one small sip at a time, because when it's the fountain of living water, small sips make all the difference. It'll be just you and me. Sometimes we'll have a friend join us. If we could have lunch together today, this is what I'd want to talk about. Okay, welcome back.
Speaker 1:
Everybody so excited to talk with my mom, susan Litchford, again about this idea of feeling stuck or feeling like you're hitting a wall, running into the same wall over and over again, history repeating itself in our lives, or having promised ourselves that we would never, ever again live or experience something that was negative in our lives, only to find that it's happening again and again. And what I love about this conversation is that it's full of hope. Last episode, we shared stories of people who were stuck in rough patterns and actually experienced hope and life change, freedom, and that's what we're going to be talking about today. I'm sure you'll hear more stories, because my mom is a natural storyteller, but today we really wanted to talk to you guys about this process of spiritual law, how we get to those places where we're stuck in negative or destructive patterns and how we get set free. So, mom, I can't wait to hear you unpack this today, absolutely.
Speaker 2:
It's so good to be back with all of you today. I think I'll start with just a quick dive. Have you ever read the Bible? But then, a few years later, you're reading the same except scriptures again and you think, oh my goodness, that's what that is actually saying. And one of the ones that impacted me for many years was Deuteronomy, chapter five, where in verse nine it says that the sins of the fathers will be passed to the children, to the third and fourth generation. But then in verse 16, god gives the antidote to that generational curse and sin being passed. And it's honor your father and mother that all might go well with you and also that your days might be prolonged. It's the only commandment that has a promise. So honor is.
Speaker 2:
I defined it by looking at what dishonor means. Dishonor is to hate, to judge, to desire vengeance or to look down on someone. I found that my category mostly was looking down on my dad and saying that I would never be married to a man that traveled. So I then later realized I had a lot of bitterness. So this is like an unpacking of the depths of forgiveness.
Speaker 2:
We see that very clearly laid out for us in Matthew, chapter 18, martha. That is where Peter said to Jesus how many times do I have to forgive seven, like I just made an A, because seven is the complete number. And Jesus said well, actually it's 70 times seven, which is an infinite number. And then Jesus looks at them and he goes well, it's like this there was a king who had a servant that owed him a massive debt he could never pay and he was going to liquidate all of his assets and put him in prison. And the guy goes down on his knees and just says just give me a chance, I'll pay you back. Well, the king forgives the entire debt.
Speaker 2:
Jesus says and then that slave, that servant who was just forgiven all of that debt, was going along his way and saw a fellow servant who owed him maybe a couple hundred thousand, and he went up to him, put his hands around his fellow servant's neck, began to choke him and say pay me what you owe me. And of course, the guy probably didn't have any money to even buy groceries for his family. He didn't just calmly ask could you give me a couple hundred dollars so I can buy groceries? No, he walked up to the guy, started choking him. That guy went on his knees and said the same exact words to him that he had just said to the king. But instead of forgiving the debt, he had his fellow servant thrown into prison.
Speaker 2:
Well, the rest of the servants made sure that the king heard about it. Jesus said, and he called this servant in and he said you, wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt. And you could not forgive your fellow servant. And so the king handed this guy over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed. And Jesus then says and such will it be for you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart, I used to think from my heart, what on earth does that mean?
Speaker 1:
But this is example of spiritual law. When we talk about that, there are physical laws and there are spiritual laws that are just as concrete, just as objective, and one of them is if you don't forgive, you will be tortured. As simple as that.
Speaker 2:
Yes, You're tortured by forgive, unforgiveness, bitterness, hate, vengeance, victimization and martyrdom is huge. I can't believe I was done that way and I just hate them for doing that. And it can be simple, little things all the way to extreme things, but the fact of the matter is get this picture when I have not forgiven from my heart. My hands are clasped around that perpetrator's throat and I am dragging them through every second of every day of my entire life, for, for, until I leave this earth, because my hands are clasped around their throat.
Speaker 1:
So unforgiveness actually bonds you to the one who hurt you Correct, it locks you in relationship with them. Yes, and then it also actually sets you up to experience the same kind of thing over and over again because of the law of sewing and reaping. You want to explain that?
Speaker 2:
Yes, the law of sewing and reaping is in Galatians, chapter five, six, excuse me, excuse me verse seven, and in that scripture it says do not be deceived, god is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. And the law of the harvest is that I reap what I sowed where I sowed it in a different season with a harvest, if you know anything at all about farming. So the law of the harvest is true in the natural realm. It's also true in the spiritual realm. So that brings in how my environment is affected by my attitude toward difficult things that have happened to me in my life.
Speaker 2:
And one of the key verses regarding this I don't know that it's an anomaly, it's just actually the word of God is Hebrews, chapter 12, verses 14 and 15, where it says pursue peace with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see God, see to it that no one comes short of the glory of God. Beware unless any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble and by it many be defiled. So sometimes we have to live a little bit of life to get into the season of harvest, where we've got low hanging fruit, that is, bitter fruit, and we are miserable and this thing is repeating itself.
Speaker 1:
So when you talked about saying you would never live with a man who traveled this, what you mean when you say and now I went through life and I was literally living with the husband who traveled when you talk about the gal that you shared, about that maybe not even consciously, but some subconsciously was thinking I'll never end up taking care of a lot of kids again and the way it she was reaping that in her life is that her body would said okay, let's obey that.
Speaker 1:
We're not ever going to have kids again. So that also taps into this the law of judgment that that though you, who judge, do the same things. You want to explain that piece.
Speaker 2:
Yes, I will, and I'll also say that that girl was set free from a physical situation. There are physical illnesses, maladies and so forth that have nothing to do with this concept, but then there are things I've seen backs healed from because of unforgiveness. I've seen many things in the natural realm healed physically to when people go through this process of letting the hurt go. So I will say there are natural things and there are spiritual things, like there always are.
Speaker 1:
And let's pause here too. I think it's a key what you just said about letting people go. Just a quick definition of what forgiveness is and what it isn't. Forgiveness is not saying that what they did was okay. It's not saying that you would allow them to do it again and not draw healthy boundaries around, whatever needs to happen. It's not saying it was justified or right. It's none of those things. It's actually letting go of the judgment of those people back into the hands of God, and if just the fact that I'm not God and he is weren't enough, there is that law of judging, not you, and let's circle back around. That's what I asked you about. Now I'm down a rapid trail. Sorry, mom, no worries.
Speaker 2:
Jesus also said in Matthew 7, verse 1, he said do not judge, because in whatever way you judge, you will be judged. I remember when our youngest daughter was 17, she had said some ugly things about her friends and within 20 minutes, the same ugly, exactly the same ugly things she said about one set of friends. Another set of friends said about her. She walked through the den, she looked at me and she said I don't know why Jesus called it a judgment. He should have called it a boomerang. It came right back on her and I thought that's one of the best things I think I've ever heard. He said don't judge, because in whatever way you judge, you'll be judged. I mean, I don't judge a tree for dropping its leaves. It's not that kind of judging. This is in relationship. How I judge in relationship, I will be judged or reap. In relationship it's real simple.
Speaker 2:
So, mom, the story of your mom, my mom was born into an environment where it was in the early 1900s, like about in 1912, when in my parents, my grandparents, home, they had a daughter it was not my mom, it was a first born daughter and someone who was ill was brought into the home and that person ended up dying and it turned out to be tuberculosis and the little girl contracted tuberculosis and it killed the little two year old. And then the missionaries came into their mountain home and disinfected things, burned their mattresses, so they had three traumas surrounding that situation. And often when there is a trauma, when there's a death of a child, an abortion, a miscarriage, sometimes the mother will have a difficult time. Often she does subconsciously bonding with the next child. But my grandparents, that case they did not bond with their next five children and I remember my uncles and my mom literally despising that first born child who died.
Speaker 1:
But they never met and she was born and died before they were even born, I realized at 17,.
Speaker 2:
Wait a minute. They never knew that girl. And so my mother was the most wounded because, with the lack of bonding, because she was the girl, the other four were boys. And she remembers standing at the graveside with her grandmother crying and my mother stood there thinking I'm a girl, what's wrong with me? So my grandparents, my grandmother especially, cried until she was in her 90s over the death of that child. It was unnatural and it was guilt over the death.
Speaker 2:
So what happened with my mother is she married my dad and 11 months later I was born. They were with some friends that had been friends with my dad and his girlfriend of four years before my mother. Her name was Alice and they stopped by to see this couple. This couple told my mom and dad that Alice had committed suicide over my dad, and my dad cried for four hours on the drive between that home and the city to which they were moving. So my mother found herself the rest of her life in competition with a perfect dead person Female, yes. And so then she birthed me, and well, I was already born, but what she said about my birth was that I was the ugliest thing she had ever seen and she felt nothing for me and she could not bond with me. Well, I was the first born daughter and she gave me the name of that dead child. Wow, for real. So this is just sewing and reaping and it's natural law. It's like gravity, very, very simple.
Speaker 1:
That's amazing. Well, I love those stories, the teaching, yes, it's simple, but I think it's new to a lot of us, and what I'd love to do next episode here, as we wrap this one up, is again, if this is pinging anything in your heart, if you're curious to hear what it would look like to evaluate if you've got some of these things going on in your life or someone that you know, you can certainly share this with them. But I'd love it, mom, if you've come back for the next show and walk us through how to evaluate if this is happening in our lives and how to get set free. Would you be willing to do that? Absolutely. I'd be glad to Thanks you guys for joining us again. This is such powerful stuff, mom, thanks for being here and just love hanging out with you guys and talking about life changing truths.
Speaker 2:
All right, we'll see you next time.
Speaker 1:
Hey you guys, thanks for hanging out with us today. I hope you've got some refreshment from this sip from the fountain. If you're curious to hear more or if you like what you've heard, you can go ahead and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to yours, or follow our Instagram account Sips From the Fountain or our Facebook page by the same name. Special thanks for cover our photography to the Sarah D Harper and I can't wait to hang out with you guys next time. Thanks so much. Love y'all, alright, you.
