As parents, we must be sensitive to people and things that influence our children outside of our own homes. People who influence enter our children’s world at a very young age in every area of life, from peers to church leaders to school and extracurricular activities leaders. Some are a good influence, others are not. Who is going to write the script for your child’s life?
 Influences that shape our kids are all around us. In addition to the genetics discussed earlier, their life experiences, family life, family values, social structure, community, culture, parenting approach, and spiritual influence will mold and shape them into the adults they will soon become (see the following illustration). In addition, as parents, how we handle boundaries, discipline, and conflict resolution will also have a great influence.
A spiritual family is the foundation for a strong society. All of the spiritual, civil, economic, political, and social roots for the West have been in the family. Some common patterns have been evident in societies in decline in many nations. The pattern in ancient Greece, the Roman Republic and now America have some common threads according to Carl W. Wilson in Our Dance Has Turned to Death.
- Men ceased to lead their family in worship. Spiritual and moral development became secondary.
- Men selfishly neglected care of their wives and children to pursue material wealth, political and military power, and cultural development. Material values began to dominate thought.
- Men, being preoccupied with business or war, either neglected their wives sexually or became involved with homosexuality.
- The role of women at home and with children lost value and status. Laws regulating marriage made divorce easy.
- Husbands and wives competed against each other for money, home leadership, and the affection of their children. Many marriages ended in separation or divorce.
- Selfish individualism grew and was carried over into society. The nation was weakened by internal conflict. The decrease in the birthrate produced an older population.
- An unbelief in God became more complete. Parental authority diminished. Ethical and moral principles disappeared, affecting the economy and government.
The founding fathers had a strong commitment to God, and worship was centered in the home. The Great Awakening led to a revival of repentance and church membership. Today, much of the church is trying to fill a void left in the home. The Sunday school and youth groups are trying to shore up sinking sand and have also given fathers another excuse to shirk their responsibility to teach and train their children. These church programs should augment and compliment, not replace, spiritual leadership in the home. Men have been preoccupied with providing and moneymaking. This is a matter of personal responsibility.
“YOU shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way, when you lie down,
and when you rise up.”
—Deuteronomy 6:7
The shift has occurred not with one president or one political party but rather gradually over generations. That was not the intentions of the founding fathers.
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
—George Washington
We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus.
—John Adams and John Hancock
“Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.”
-—President Barack Obama
Take action now:
- Read Haggai 1:12–14 and 2 Chronicles 16:9. God is with you. Ask Him to stir you to action.
- Read Jeremiah 42:1–3. Ask God, “Where should I go?” “What should I do?” Start with what is in front of you now; start with your family.
- Read Amos 5:14–16. Perhaps God will relent—if enough of His children respond.
- Read Matthew 5:13–16. Be salt and light.
- Sometime this week, pray and repent for our country. Use Daniel 9:3–19 as a model to help you with specifics.
Many tools to help build a family foundation are in A Lasting Legacy.
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