Epigenetics &Hereditary, Vice &Virtue

Folks, I am sad to report that I didn’t have time to listen to podcasts or audiobooks this week as I was stuck in the office all week. So, I worked on business reports and managing my team instead of learning some cool new things this week. And so, as I sat down on Saturday to write, I could not think of what I wanted to write about. I went to Church Sunday morning feeling rather drained as I walked in going through the rituals of Sunday school and the associated conversations, yet as the worship songs began to play, I found a mental reset beginning to take place, and as I listened to the pastor share the sermon I found an internal revival occurred. The sermon wasn’t anything revolutionary, nor was it something I hadn’t heard before, yet all the same, I felt a spiritual revival taking place in my soul. As I pondered this, I realized that I didn’t need to hear some “new” thing. Instead, I needed to simply be reminded of the existing truths I already knew but all too often and far too quickly forgot.

I am now but a couple of weeks away from hitting my one-year goal of weekly posting, and as I have reflected on my postings, I have often found myself repeating certain subjects as I am continuously reminded of the truths I have learned through this journey of writing and learning and while I truly love to learn new things, something I hope to continue moving forward. This pause, this lapse in learning, was an opportunity to be reminded of God’s faithfulness.

It Didn’t Start With You, By Mark Wolynn

I am still working my way through this newest venture of learning, and as previously mentioned, I didn’t get to spend any time on the subject this past week, much to my regret, yet all the same, I want to share some of my thoughts on this subject as I find it to be very intriguing. Yet I also find that this book bothers me as it lends itself to a victim and “it’s not my fault” mentality. I have only very recently begun digging into the subject of epigenetics. What this book reveals is that there are cognitive predispositions toward. The idea is that we inherit not only the physical features of our parents, but we also inherit family trauma, and this can have multi-generational fallout. I am someone who very much chaffs at the word “Trauma” as I think it is overused, and everyone insists on having some form of trauma, and that’s why they are the way they are, though there is some truth to that idea. I chaff at the idea and the word because it has culturally become a way to excuse poor behavior and allow someone to claim a sense of victimhood and non-responsibility.

So, reading this book is something that is a rather challenging thing to digest, and yet I think if the information shared in this book is correctly applied, then it can be transformational to one’s life, as Mark details in this book from many of his patient’s testimonials. This book lends further credence to the old adage, “It’s not the cards you’re dealt, but how you play them.” We all are indeed born with certain physical characteristics we cannot control. So, too, there are certain characteristics of our mental makeup that we did not choose, so we may be predisposed to higher levels of aggression or vice.

Exodus 34:7 - Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

The verse above is quoted in the book, and what I find so fascinating is that, once again, science confirms a truth spoken of in the Bible. I have wondered in the past what this verse means, and though I don’t think this book is or can fully explain the meaning of this verse, nor does it try to, I think it does indeed tease at a truth that was revealed in the Bible many thousands of years ago. The things we do today can and do not only affect us in the present and have lasting consequences in our lives today, but they also affect our children and our children’s children. This goes for both positive and negative things.

In generations past we believed in “generational curses” and that bad things we do can affect our offspring. In our modern, seemingly enlightened hubris, many of us, I think, have forgotten the wisdom of the past. We look at the beliefs of past generations as superstitions to be case away for our new enlightened ones. Yet, as we continue forward, we often see the wisdom of those past generations. In my mind, this book reveals that we don’t take the choices we make seriously enough. We truly can’t change our parentage; thus, we can not change our genetic makeup, natural inclinations, and vices. Yet this is not where our story ends; as ever, Jesus is the answer. Here, too, no matter what our story or our parentage is, it is not predetermined; it is not predestined for defeat, even if our circumstances might suggest it. We have the ultimate wild card in that we are not bound by nature as Christians because we have a supernatural force that beckons us to defy the natural decay of the world. So, as I read this book, it truly reveals how important it is to make good choices for the sake of those who come after me. But it is also important for me to understand that there may be certain things to which I am genetically predisposed, so I should be actively aware of those things.

I have shared before that I have often struggled with “pride” in my life, and as I read through this book, I can’t help but wonder if it is a hereditary disposition. I say this not as an excuse to continue to be prideful or to claim I can’t help that “I am the way I am,” but rather, it is a chance for me to understand that it didn’t start with me. Yet, if I acknowledge it, I can also make sure it ends with me.

I come from the Mennonite culture and am of German descent, and I can see in myself traits that I would consider very Germain, both good and bad. The bad is I think that they can often be a very prideful and arrogant people. Yet I can also proudly say I have often heard it said that German and Mennonite people are some of the hardest working people you have ever met, that they are ambitious, driven people who are hard to contend with when they are on a mission.

In closing I don’t know that I have any great takeaway or big idea or challenge to anyone. I hope I have given you some food for thought and maybe a new book to consider checking out.