I believe the American family is struggling today. The divorce rate for a first marriage is over 50 percent and over 75 percent for second marriages and for those who cohabitate. 

Our society has redefined marriage, undermining the sanctity and importance of the home.

The home was created as a unit not as separate entities living independently of one another. Each member receives support and adds their importance to the family unit. The husband and wife are not in competition in the relationship, but are to complete each other making the marriage a whole. The expression “my better half” shows that the two have united to become one.

The husband’s love is a sacrificial one making him willing to protect and provide for his family. The wife’s love is also a sacrificial one where she is willing to put her family’s needs above her own.

The relationship of the parents to the children is to prepare them for their independence. Parents are to teach their children through nurturing, meaning “discipline.” Correction involves setting boundaries for their behavior and activities. These limitations give the child security and direction through a dangerous and troubled world. 

A child’s training is also by admonition, that is, “instruction by example.” Parents should be able to say “follow me and do as I do.”

The children’s relationship to the parents should be one of obedience and honor. Respect for others begins with their parents. A child who has problems with society and in school also has problems with parental authority.

The family is not the product of convenience as evolution teaches. God created the family with each member in mind for their benefit from and importance to the family.

I believe your family is your greatest ministry in life. Your home should be a little bit of heaven on earth. The family is what makes a house a home, your life a success and eternity enjoyable.

God is the creator of the family, therefore, He knows what the family needs. As the sustainer, He is able to provide the resources for the demands on the family. Children should be seen as the parents’ greatest asset, not as a liability. They can be enjoyed for this lifetime and also for eternity.

What our Heavenly Father is to us is an example of what we need to be to our family.

STEVE CONWELL, pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church, is heard mornings on WFLO and WVHL in “A Thought For Today.” His email address is SteveConwell@outlook.com.