You didn’t ask for this
Nobody ever would
Caught in the middle of this dysfunction
It’s your sad reality
It’s your messed up family tree
Now you’re left with all these questions

Are you gonna be like your father was and his father was?
Do you have to carry what they’ve handed down?

No, this is not your legacy
This is not your destiny
Yesterday does not define you

No, this is not your legacy
This is not your meant to be
I can break the chains that bind you

I have a dream for your
It’s better than where you’ve been
It’s bigger than your imagination

You’re gonna find real love
And you’re gonna hold your kids
You’ll change the course of generations

‘Cause you’re my child, you’re my chosen
You are loved, you are loved
And I will restore all that was broken
You are loved, you are loved

And just like the seasons change
Winter into spring
You’re bringing new life to your family tree now
Yes you are, you are

Oh, this will be your legacy
This will be your destiny
Yesterday did not define you

Oh, this will be your legacy
This will be your meant to be
I can break the chains that bind you

And just like the seasons change
Winter into spring
You’re bringing new life to your family tree now


Written by Matthew West and Jason Houser © 2010 External Combustion Music / Songs For Delaney / Songs Of Southside Independent Music Publishing, LLC (Admin. by Wixen Music Publishing, LLC) / 33 Psalms (admin. by Amplified Admin (ASCAP)

Behind the Song:
"As a child, my home was filled with homosexuality, mental illness, anger and violence. The legacy my parents were leaving me was sure to a life filled with emotional turmoil. But came Jesus. I found Christ at a young age, and He walked beside me all the days of that difficult childhood. It didn’t mean everything was better or easier, but I was never alone. And most importantly, it meant I would receive a new legacy. One of the most poignant moments in my life came when I was an adult and my father was dying from AIDS. I was standing in his home, talking with his gay partner, while my mother and father were in the adjacent room arguing with harsh words, speaking of emotional battles and suicide attempts. I had a sick feeling in my stomach as I listened to a conversation that embodied the very sad reality of all I had known as a child. My father’s partner responded to what we were hearing by saying to me, “Well, I guess that is the legacy that you have” ; I responded with a resigned, “Yes, I guess so..” But at the very same moment that I uttered those words, God spoke to my heart with a depth and clarity that has never been matched when He said to me, “NO, that is not your legacy. You have My legacy because you are My child.” And that truth made all the difference then, now, and for eternity."

Matthew’s commentary:
On one of my last nights in the cabin, I was writing in my journal, and reading over stories. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a topic that I must write about, something God wanted me to communicate through song. I wrote the words “generational baggage,” in my journal.

A story from a woman named, Rebecca in Florida impacted me greatly, and painted such a vivid picture of just how heavy the weight of generational baggage can be, and the toll it can take on a heart. Many people walk through their lives allowing their dysfunctional upbringing, their damaged relationship with a parent, or abusive childhood to hold them captive. Your father had a temper, so you’ll probably have a temper. Your mom got pregnant as a teenager, so you’ll probably do the same. Your parents divorced, so you probably won’t be able to keep your marriage together either. Rebecca’s story was so inspiring, because she has discovered the wonderful promise that we do not have to carry on the legacy that has been left to us, no matter how dysfunctional. Our past does not define us. We are defined by the love of Christ, and in him we have been given a new legacy, and a chance to break the chains of generational curses.

What a wonderful reminder that God can give us the strength to put a stop to the past, and set our lives on a new road, bringing new life to our family tree.