Living harmoniously as a family is an ongoing, intentional journey. The beginning of that journey is marked by great anticipation and genuine excitement. A bride and groom have high hopes and great dreams as they start out life together. However, as in all journeys, unexpected challenges pop up, including the arrival of children, which requires the couple to cultivate valuable parenting skills—without a handbook! At each age, from preschool through elementary school, each child requires his or her parents to make adjustments along the way to keep the relationships harmonious. Just about the time parents get their arms around all of that, the teenage years arrive! This stretching and complicated time calls for even more adjustments and a greater willingness to change if the parents hope to sustain harmony in the home. Then, after all that adapting, a new set of challenges arrives—the children reach adulthood, with minds of their own. Can there still be mutual respect and meaningful relationships in the family? Can harmony continue between parents and their grown-up kids? Absolutely! The question is, how?
Do you have vision for your kids? It requires knowing them and influencing them in the way they should go. It takes time, patience, and understanding but the rewards of raising a secure and confident child are rich.
Psalm 127 and 128 paint a mural of inspired images depicting four stages of family life: the foundation of the home (Psalm 127:1–2), the expansion of the home (127:3–5), the child-rearing years (128:1–3), and the later years (128:4–6). These verses can help us appreciate, as well as improve, our families.
We simply cannot find a substitute for the family. God planned it that way. Nothing on earth comes close to the benefits derived from relationships revolving around our roots. Nothing.
Unless some of you who read these words stop and think and plan and start to execute essential goals, indifference, passivity, and procrastination will win another victory.
If you have grandchildren, you have a unique opportunity to invest in the lives of the next generation in your family. Never underestimate how significant your influence is!
As you consider a gift for dad when his special day comes around, look him in the eye or call him on the phone and give him the gift he needs more than anything. Give him your love.
The longer I live, the more convinced I become of how easy it is to allow irretrievable moments to slip away. Regardless of our demanding schedules and in spite of our many responsibilities, we need to treasure those precious moments our children offer.
There are many reasons for Christians to pull together—we’re brothers and sisters because we have the same heavenly Father.
Godly homes prepare our children to face the world with confidence. You’ll never regret making your family a priority.
A family is a place that relates to one another, it’s a place where one member feels pain and is supported by others who encourage him or her in the hurt. A family is a place that listens when others speak. It’s a place that cares.
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