Not every problem affecting a person’s life began with them. Someone may grow up facing financial hardship because of decisions made by previous members of the family. Children may live with the consequences of a parent’s harmful behaviour, and unresolved conflict can divide relatives who were not even born when it began.
A recent apology issued by the UK Government has drawn renewed attention to the way past actions can continue to affect people and families many decades later. On 2 July 2026, former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivered a formal apology on behalf of the Government to those affected by historical forced-adoption practices in England.
The apology focused mainly on events that took place between the post-war period and the 1970’s, when many unmarried women were pressured, coerced or misled into having their babies placed for adoption. A £4 million package of practical support, to be delivered over three years, was also announced.
At the time, financial assistance for single mothers was limited and social attitudes were unforgiving. The parliamentary inquiry found that many women were given little or no information about alternatives to adoption.
The Joint Committee on Human Rights examined the lasting consequences of these forced adoptions and found that many mothers experienced prolonged grief, guilt, shame and regret, as well as disruption to their marriages and partnerships. Some also chose not to have more children because the separation remained too painful.
Adopted people also reported uncertainty about their identities and where they belonged, feelings of being unwanted or unloved, low self-esteem, loneliness, difficulty trusting others and fear of abandonment.
A Different Kind of Generational Burden
Beyond the consequences of historical injustices and financial decisions, there is another, distinct way in which problems may appear to pass from one generation to the next.
Many people grow up witnessing destructive behaviour within their own families. They see how much pain this behaviour causes and promise themselves: “I will never become like that.”
The intention is sincere—they want to build a different life, treat their future family differently and avoid the mistakes they witnessed. However, years later, some may find themselves repeating the very behaviour they once condemned.
In certain cases, the problem may involve more than upbringing or habit. There may also be spiritual forces working to keep destructive patterns alive within a family, leading people in different generations towards similar failures and suffering.
Maybe you have noticed that certain problems, for which there seems to be no explanation, repeatedly appear throughout your family. You may even recognise that you’re beginning to behave in a way you once promised to avoid.
The Bible teaches that true freedom is possible through the Lord Jesus, Who “has redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13). In this faith, we invite you to attend The Day to Break Generational Curses tonight, at 7.30pm, at your nearest Universal Church.
Through prayer and faith in God’s Word, we will confront the spiritual influences that may have been perpetuating this suffering and determine freedom from the burdens of the past.
Click here for more details and come prepared to use your faith. The problem may have started before you, but through faith, it can end with you.
Sources: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-apologises-for-historic-forced-adoption-practices
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt5803/jtselect/jtrights/270/report.html
