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On Marriage and Family


A strong family is the backbone to a thriving society.  And I was shaped by a strong family.  My mother and father have been married for 38 years and counting and I grew up in the same home all of my life.  I consider my upbringing to have been very sheltered compared to many, but I never felt like I missed out on anything.   I have numerous happy memories and some sad ones too.  I've made my fair share of really bad decisions in life, but I ultimately feel equipped to be able to get through this thing called life. 

Why is this important?  Well, the fabric and culture of our society is moving farther away from traditional family households.  We are less and less concerned about who is raising our children.  We are increasingly concerned about how we look physically, and not even on the health of our bodies (which might be okay) but just the shape of them.  We are increasingly sexifying our generation and the ones to come.  We are more concerned about going viral than going to work. 


Can I appeal to you briefly?  You’re doing great.  What about slowing down just a little to establish your marriage and family as a priority in a fun way in your life?  After all, what is all your hard work for without the lovely people in your life to share it with.  Re-implement date night, or stay in and eat popcorn and watch movies together.   You don’t have to hold your breath, likely you are living the good life right now – you just don’t realize it.  We all have things that we want to accomplish and that we’re working toward but if that gets in the way of enjoying every day that we are blessed with, then we have our eyes focused on the wrong thing and we need to readjust our focus. 


In Proverbs, the book of wisdom, it says to “let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you” Proverbs 4:25.    So, what are you focused on? You might say your career, your finances, your happiness, your business.  You might even say your family.  But saying you’re doing everything for your family, while neglecting quality time and quality interactions with them, is really just using them as your noble coverup. 


Here is the truth.  If you really want to enjoy this life and everything that the Lord has to offer you, then you have to get in line with how He sees this life going for you.  It’s an uphill battle without Jesus.  And it’s an uphill battle with Jesus, but having him on your side makes all the difference in who’s doing the climbing. 


When we place our families first, our spouse first and our children close second, then we can really effect change.  It starts at home.  Everything starts at home.



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