TLC – The Family Commitment
We live in an “instant” age. The McDonalds drive through tries to serve customers with one minute of arriving at the “food” window. My family has cable internet because dial up service is too SSSLLLOOOWWW. My daughter is leading a study using Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline and I just sent her an important resource book via FedEx overnight delivery.
There is no such thing as an “instant” family. Cultivating a healthy family takes time and considerable effort. Our first priority in life should be our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Our second priority in life should be our family!
I would love to write a book on today’s family life titled, “Family Life Takes it in the Shorts!” Too often the family gets the left over time—not the best time. Work gets a large portion of our best time. Soccer and other sports pick up another huge chunk of time. Don’t forget church—church wants a portion of our time. Other time grabbers are commuting, shopping for food and cooking, Scouts, PTA, school work watching television (did the UW Huskies win this afternoon?), going to the coffee stand, working out, etc. Where does all of our time go? If we are not careful our time wastes away.
A commitment to family involves much more than just time—it involves saying and doing the right things. Our “tongue” is an important tool for our commitment to the family. Children need to be built up—not just criticized and torn down. Spouses need to be encouraged and praised—not just nagged. I am horrified by what I hear come out of the mouths of parents/grandparents as they talk/scream/argue with their children/teenagers. Besides saying the right things, we have to learn when to be quiet. Appropriate silence is a great communicator. Recently I had the opportunity to watch a master communicator in action. A group of us was out for dinner following church. With us was a young girl who can have an “attitude” problem. This “master communicator” spent the entire dinner talking with/interacting with/laughing with and challenging this young gal. He knew exactly how to communicate with her—on her terms. Oh, if only all parents/grandparents had his skill in communication!
A commitment to family involves money. Guys—this is not an excuse to run out to buy that 54” HDTV for the Superbowl! Your kids know if you are always doing things “on the cheap.” This doesn’t mean that we have to go overboard with the spending. Periodically spend some $$$ on your family.
There are lots of other areas that could be involved in our commitment to family. Be creative. Be there for each other.
In 2007 we need to make a commitment to our family.
posted by Pastor Lance @ 3:57 PM
1 Comments
1 Comments:
Education is the major issue for a full commitment to Christ and our families. The statistics are sobering:
The research data on the success of the public schools in indoctrinating Christian youth with humanistic or neo-pagan worldviews is overwhelming. The Nehemiah Institute's worldview PEERS test shows that 83-percent of the children from committed Christian families in public schools adopt a secular humanist or Marxist socialist worldview. At the SBC's 2002 annual meeting, the Southern Baptist Council on Family Life reported, among other disturbing things, that 88-percent of the children raised in evangelical homes leave church at age 18. Barna Research reports that only 9-percent of born-again teens believe in moral absolutes, and more than half believe that Jesus sinned while He was on earth. *
The organization that reported these statistics, Exodus Mandate Project, believes that it is the Christian families' responsibility to provide Christian education for our children and not the "free" education provided for by the State.
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