[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Friday, June 20, 2014

[Paul]

Hello and good day once again to most of my readers.  Well, for most of us it's still Friday and time to think about our weekend activities, whatever they may entail.  On the other hand, you in Australia and New Zealand are already in your Saturday morning.  No matter the time of day it is or even day of the week, I hope that you are having a good day, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.

The following article was originally written in 1984 by the late Pastor R.T. Woodworth of Christ and Country Church, but as you will see it is still as relevant today as it was then, if not more so in my opinion.  I mention his name because he was my pastor from October 1986 until he retired officially in 2002, although he still continued to preach off and on.  The title of his piece is entitled "Building Family Unity" and is rendered as follows:

We have witnessed the breakup of the family in our generation.  The traditional pattern of everyone working together to achieve common goals and support one another has been replaced for an "every man for himself" lifestyle.  For a Christian, however, the biblical pattern of a strong, loyal family unit is still the only model to follow.

It isn't easy to resist the trends of society.  From every direction come pressures and temptations to abandon solid family relationships and to live only for oneself.  Building and maintaining the unit of a Christian home takes conscious effort and humble dependence upon the Lord.  The following suggestions may help.

ACCEPT GOD-GIVEN ROLES.

The basic expectations for family members are spelled out clearly in Ephesians 5 and 6.  Dad is to lead, and love (5:22, 25).  Mom is to be supportive, and love (5:22).  Children are to obey and honor, and love (6:1-2).  When any family member abandons this established order, difficulties occur.  Continued belligerence produces a fractured family, forced withdrawal, gradual isolation, and a preoccupation with self.  God's order is always best.

BE LOYAL AND SUPPORTIVE.

I believe every family should be a "mutual admiration society." We should be able to count on the allegiance and encouragement of everyone who lives in our home.  Our accomplishments should bring their cheers; our failures, their disappointments.  When we're facing life's toughest challenges, we should know that they're in their pitchin' for us 100%.  And when spiritual correction becomes necessary, we should welcome it.

KEEP LEARNING.

We must not let ourselves feel that we have arrived, as far as our family relationships are concerned.  And we can't give into the feeling that the problem is always with the other guy.  True, we'll be sensitive to the shortcomings of the other family members.  Yet, we have to realize that we still need to grow, too.  Every tense family situation and every new phase of a child's development is a learning experience for every family member.  We can learn how to handle the situation better next time, or we can see anew the importance of maintaining self-control.

DO THINGS TOGETHER.

Probably the best way to build family unity is to do things together.  Praying for one another at meals and reading the Bible is essential, of course.  But so are vacations, surprise outings and shopping trips.  Recreational activities can be fun.  If your daughter is on a softball team, everyone should go see her play.

Establishing little family traditions on holidays, for example, is also important.  So is including Grandma and Grandpa in picnics and birthday celebrations.  And you'll all benefit from working together to help someone who has a special need, such as painting a widow's house or washing a shut-in's windows.

If you begin to put some of these suggestions into practice, you'll find that you're growing closer to each other.  Petty differences won't take on gigantic proportions.  And you'll be able to maintain a sense of family unity, even after the children have left home.

And there you have the late Pastor Woodworth's article which I trust was a blessing.  Lest any of you should think that he wasn't a family man, he had three children, Claudia, Peter and Ben.  Peter married a childhood sweetheart at school, the daughter of one of the elders in Pastor Woodworth's church named Linda from whom sprung several children, and Claudia married a military man, a colonel Barlow from whom sprung my good friend Jared and his brother Joshua.  Ben also married and had two boys, though their names escape me at the moment.  So, you see that my former pastor was a family man, in addition to being a fine singer as were all his children and grandchildren.  In fact I have a recording made in 1976 featuring them and assorted others in his church.  Regrettably Pastor Woodworth went home to be with his Lord in February 2012.  During his lifetime he had a radio program in which he preached against such things as abortion and homosexuality long before it was on the front burner for many Christians.  It was my humble pleasure and privilege to be part of his last radio series on a local station here in Baltimore from November 1990 to November 1991.  Unfortunately that station, which was once a solid Christian outlet, is now all sports.

Well, enough of my reminiscing for today.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing another daily thought message will be presented, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul