Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are upon us again. Over the past few days, I have been thinking about families in general, especially in America. The disintegration of the family unit is having disastrous effects on our society. A few days ago, a thirteen-year-old boy was killed by police in Chicago. The young man was out at 2:30 AM, on a Monday, with a 21-year-old man who is a felon. The man’s felony stemmed from a gun charge. ShotSpotter (sensors located throughout Chicago to identify gunshot locations) alerted the police to the location of multiple gunshots. The thirteen-year-old had fired eight or nine shots at a passing car. When the police arrived, he ran. They caught up to him. He had the gun in his hand when he was shot, and later gunpowder residue was confirmed on his hands. My first thought when I heard this story was what in the world is a 13-year-old doing out at 2:30 AM with a man, a felon, not related to him. Where was his mom or dad? He should have been home in bed sleeping, getting ready for school the next day. When my kids were thirteen I knew exactly where they were. This is only one sad example of hundreds we hear and read about annually. Other news stories are about abandonment and abuse. Family members killed by another member has become all too common. How do we fix this problem? We have the answer, but will society accept that answer? That is the question. Let me offer the solution in this update.

  1. Love & Obey God. It all starts with the Lord. Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD isthe beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” What does it mean to fear God? It means to revere him, to be in awe of him, to understand that he is supreme, that he is our creator and thus knows how we are to function. I think we have a country and a world full of fools. They do not retain God in their minds or lives. They reject, to their detriment, that one day they will personally stand before this holy God. Because of this thinking, they have a morality that is harmful to them personally, to their family’s lives and by extension the nation. John Adams, one of America’s founders, made this famous statement, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” The Judeo-Christian foundation was the strength, the very fabric of our society. Without God, we are like a ship without a rudder or an airplane without a tail fin. We see this daily.
  2. Love Each Other. Proverbs 15:17, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” I like steak and I like a good hamburger, but what I really like is peace at the dinner table. It is a time for the children to listen to mom and dad’s instruction. It is a time for the kids to share their hearts to sympathetic ears. The Lord is in the conversation, school and friends can be discussed in a calm, rational manner. There is stability at the dinner table when families make it a priority. Our proverb for this point is simple. It is a whole lot better to only have vegetables if you love one another, than to have the finest filet mignon that can be purchased if there is strife and constant bickering. To eat together is to spend time together. To spend time together is to get to know each other. Moms and Dads, please remember this. The most important job you have is raising your children. It is not making $200K annually or driving the latest humdinger of a car. It is the kids. You have a responsibility to the Lord that gave you these children and to society to make them citizens that are a plus instead of a minus.
  3. Love and Live by the Book. Psalm 119:66, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.” And Psalm 119:111, “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart.” Christian parents have an obligation to rear their children biblically. You cannot do anything about other parents, but you can do something about yourselves. You can lead by example. God will not hold you accountable for other people’s children, but he will for your children. His standard has always been His book, the Bible. We are to teach it line by line, precept by precept, day by day. The best citizens should be dedicated Christians. As Christians we obey the law, respect law enforcement, and teach our children about Romans 13. We vote for righteousness and pray for our leaders (I Timothy 2:1-2). We assemble with God’s people, teaching our children that church is important and is a major priority for our family. The Bible is our road map. Read it. Learn it. Live it. Share it.

These three simple things, if followed nationally, would be a Godsend to our nation. Will it happen? I do not know, but I know that as a Christian, I can personally follow them in my life. When my children were small, I also spoke for the family just as Joshua of old. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” You can make that decision too. The only hope for America is a return to God. Moms and Dads, know where your thirteen-year-old is and who they are with at all times. We live in difficult days, but the Lord is always faithful.