"One day Cain suggested to his brother, "Let’s go out into the fields." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him."

Genesis 4:8

In Genesis 3, we saw that one of the first results of sin was brokenness in the relationship between the man and the woman. Genesis 4 reveals that this brokenness is passed on to the next generation. When God does not accept Cain's offering (God's reasons aren't given), Cain responds with anger toward God, and then with jealous fury toward his brother, Abel. Then Cain  kills Abel.

Though most of us won't experience family discord to this tragic degree, we all know what it's like for sin to taint our relationships with those who are closest to us—whether our siblings, our parents, or our spouses. We need the relational healing that God provides as we experience his salvation.

How have you experienced brokenness in your family? Where do you and your family members need God's healing today?

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, today we pray for families, including our own. The stain of sin colors our relationships with those we ought to love the most .  We find ourselves, like Cain, struggling with anger, jealousy, and hurt.  In many cases, we are more like Abel, victims of what our relatives have done to us.

How we need your healing, Lord! Heal the wounds in our hearts. Mend the breaches in our relationships. Help us to forgive when we've been wronged. Help us to seek forgiveness when we've done wrong. May the wholeness of your salvation pervade our families. Amen.