"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Eph 6:4
The role of the family in a child's development is to love, nurture and teach. Naturally there are many things that go into each of these categories, but the point is that parents have a responsibility to their children.
When we look around at the world we live in, it is not unusual to wonder what is really going on. Why is there so much death, destruction, fighting, corruption and unrighteousness? We see bad acting on the part of both children and adults. A breakdown in family love, nurturing and teaching is most surely at the root of our problems. According to the US Census Bureau, there are approximately 13.7 million single parents in the United States today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today). This is not how God intended the family to be structured. Parenting is more than a full time job and requires all the help and resources we can get. This is not a criticism of single parents, but a lament against things that cause these situations to be so...whatever they may be. Children need the positive influence of both parents whether they are together or not.
Beloved, we must return to a focus on the family. Marriages must not be entered into lightly and must survive. We must not be unequally yoked. We must be willing to give instruction in the Lord at least as much time as karate, soccer, baseball and scouts. Just as we prepare our children to thrive and survive in the world, we must with even greater fervency, prepare them for eternity.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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