Recovering the Family (Part 3)

The family is the basic unit of human society. The virtues upon which an orderly and peaceful community depends, ordinarily, must be taught and developed within the home. Virtures such as honesty, respect for authority, and diligence in responsibilities must be instilled in the daily interaction between parents and children, if they are to be learned well. The primary agent for such instruction should be the father, the Divinely appointed head of the family. Whether he intends to or not, every father supplies instruction in these and other areas by his own personal example. The dad who calls in sick at work and then goes hunting teaches a powerful lesson concerning honesty and diligence in responsibilities. The dad who rants and raves and curses at the referee in his son rec league basketball game is making a statement concerning the treatment of authority figures. Such dads may say the right things when they talk with their children about such matters, but their example is far more influential.

Happy are the children whose father and mother are people devoted to principled conduct both for themselves as well as their children. Blessed is the son or daughter whose dad establishes a clear standard of righteousness for their behavior in terms of his verbal instruction to them and then provides a real life pattern for living up to that standard in his own daily conduct and who employs predictable and just discipline to correct their violations of the standard. The child of such a father has the distinct advantage of learning the indispensibles of an orderly and productive life; and, learning them not just theoretically but experientially. Furthermore, this child is most likely to make a positive contribution to and impact upon the society in which he or she lives.

Where are these kinds of fathers to be found? Where are the men who know what righteousness is, who have hearts to love it, who have self-discipline to practice it themselves, and the commitment necessary to teach it to their children? Such men are found only among those who possess a heart to fear the Lord with love and reverence. Jesus Christ alone is able to create a love for the absolutes of truth and righteousness. Christ alone is able to subdue the strong man of sin and selfishness in a man's heart so that he becomes a model of righteousness to those who know him best.

The American culture is collapsing largely because the family is failing in its most fundamental responsibilities. The family is failing primarily because men are weak and unprincipled leaders. The supreme need is that men experience the transforming power of Christ - power which not only gives peace with God but which recreates character and infuses moral courage.