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.
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.
It’s one thing to retire from work but it’s quite another to retire from life. While it may be tempting to hid away during the retirement years this is the time to stay active, interested, and involved.
Parents only have a short time to raise their children. Approximately 20 years is all we have to accomplish the task of teaching those born in our midst everything we know.
In our “hurry-up” society a grandparent’s patience, understanding, and unconditional love can make a world of difference to a child.
There are two types of success—outside and inside the home. Success in business never makes up for failure in the home. Children don’t need more stuff—the need lots of time and unconditional love.
You probably know by now life isn’t fair. And it’s easy to become bitter because of what happens—but if you don’t forgive you will be trapped in a prison of your own making. Forgiveness is the key to releasing you from bitterness, hatred, and resentment.
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