Family Matters

Each Tuesday I will be sharing a newspaper article that I've been writing for over 27 years. On Thursday's I will be sharing a personal word with you.
Many of us remember the TV sitcom "Family Ties". A thirty-something couple who were also liberal ex-hippies had a conservative son and faced everyday experiences of family life. It was entertainment pure and simple. Another sitcom from the eighties was "Family Matters". It was also entertainment pure and simple. However, its title bears repeating because family really does matter.
Of all the endeavors we may put our efforts into, none are as important as the family. Now, I realize that today the American family is quite different than the "Cleavers". However, family still matters. It may be a single parent or the typical Dad, Mom and two kids. The important thing is it matters. It matters to God. The home is the first institution ordained by God. God performed the first marriage ceremony in the Garden of Eden. Marriage is not a man-made institution; it is divine in its inception.
It matters to a nation. The Bible says "If the foundations be destroyed what shall the righteous do?" In other words, if those foundations are destroyed there is no hope. Please realize that as the home goes, so goes the nation. America's problem can be traced back to our homes. Absentee parenting, humanistic philosophy, and latch-key kids have added heavy weights to our freedom.
It matters to our children. Every child is made in the image of God and that child deserves to be loved and cared for. A child deserves to be shown care, to be nurtured and also to be shown responsibility. Today many of our youth walk about with chips on their shoulders. Trying to appear unafraid, they are afraid to face life because they have never been shown how to handle it.
Yes! Family matters. Today, thank God for your family. It's important to God, and may it be important to us.

Pastor Brindley