Reminders of Hope in Your Brokenness

When Family Doesn’t Feel Whole

You never imagined it like this: broken family, shattered family dynamics, situations that feel irreconcilable.

Maybe it’s been a parent who walked away. A child who won’t speak to you. A marriage that didn’t make it. Maybe the wounds go back generations. Whatever the story, you’re carrying the weight of a broken family, and trying to make sense of what’s still possible. 

How could you even begin to think about the idea of “legacy” if you’re a single mom or parent trying to just raise your child best you know how? 

It's tempting to believe legacy is only for the "put-together" families- for families who don’t have to split two homes, separate holidays, or spend birthdays without their family by them. But Scripture tells a different story. Over and over, we see families who failed, fractured, and still found their way back to hope, not because they got everything right, but because God remained faithful.

For many, brokenness and a family that’s torn apart in some form or fashion is a number one fear. But we’re here to encourage you and your family, in the midst of your brokenness, by finding the hope that only Jesus can offer. 

Remain steadfast in these few reminders of hope for your situation: 

Reminder #1: Brokenness Is Not the End

It’s easy to feel disqualified when your family isn’t picture-perfect or how you thought it would look. But God has always worked through broken families to carry out His purpose.

Think of Joseph. Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and separated from the people who were supposed to protect him. That story could have ended in Joseph’s flesh- his doubt of the plan on his life, a feeling of abandonment from God or downright anger and bitterness towards his family. But Joseph said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). He didn’t get back the years he lost. But God used the brokenness anyway.

God doesn’t need everything put back together to start redeeming it. Remember, God was not caught off guard or surprised by the fracture in your family when it happened, how it happened, or why it happened. His plan for your life and your family is still “Plan A”. 

Reminder #2: Hope Was Designed to be Found in the Middle of the Mess

Hope, for you, might not mean the full restoration of relationships overnight. It may not mean a dramatic family reunion or reconciliation. It may not mean forgiveness. It may not even mean immediate healing from what has wounded you the most.

Sometimes hope is meant for something more subtle. It may be praying for someone even when you can’t speak to them. You can choose to forgive, even when there’s been no apology. It may mean setting boundaries without resentment. It’s you who chooses to open your Bible instead of shutting down.

You must remember that your intentionality and how you choose to seek out hope in the middle of your mess will either prevent or set generational legacy in motion: generational traumas, generational chains or generational strength, generational legacy, generational faith. You decide based on how you seek out hope, now. 

These aren’t easy things. But they’re holy things. They’re legacy things.

Reminder #3: You Will Still Build Something That Lasts

You don’t have to wait for reconciliation to begin rebuilding. 

That might look like showing your children what love looks like in hard seasons. Or starting fresh family traditions between a single parent and your child(ren) when they always saw Christmas holidays spent as one, big happy family. 

Your legacy can still speak to the values you want to carry forward. It might look like telling your story honestly, with grace, so others know healing is possible, even if the situation never resolves the way you hoped.

You’re not too late to begin again. And your family’s brokenness doesn’t cancel your call to create something multi-generational.

If you’re a single parent, remember that your vision is still clear, still intact. God Himself spoke life and longevity over your and your family.

Reminder #4: Focus on Your Faith Over the Fracture

Pain can cloud everything. But it doesn’t cancel the promises of God. When relationships fall apart, He holds steady. When you feel alone in the repair process, He is with you. Scripture says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” - Psalm 147:3.

Lean into His Word. Let it be the reminder for your hope, not what others say, not what culture says family should be. What’s true is this: 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) 

Rest in that. 

Rest in Knowing: God’s Got This

No matter how deep the hurt or how long the silence, your family’s story is never too far gone. God is not done. And He’s not asking you to fix it all, only to stay hopeful enough to let Him work.

If you're ready to begin writing the next chapter, or even a new chapter, we created the 7 Generation Family Legacy Study for moments just like this. The most powerful thing you can do in your brokenness is set your family up to look back at your time here and what you chose to focus on: hope, faith, unconditional love, and most importantly, still pursue God’s “Plan A” for your life. 

Remember: a broken family isn’t the end of your legacy. It’s the exact place where God will start something new.