A Godly Home

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Colossians 3:18-21
My thought this morning is concerning families. I grew up in a dysfunctional home. I thought at one time when I was younger, I was a good parent. As I have aged and see the dysfunction in other homes that continues, I think less and less of my parenting skills. Parenting skills I just didn't have. As I read Colossians 3, Ephesians 5 and even 1 Peter 3 where we read about families. How husbands and wives should be submissive to each other. How we are to treat children. I believe the best thing parents can do for their children is to have a good home life. Show children how to live in harmony, with respect towards each other and towards God.  I didn't have that growing up. Then in my own marriage with the mother of my children, we were at odds about almost everything, especially how to raise children.  We failed. I have seen good parenting inside and outside the church, and bad parenting inside and outside the church. I believe even more strongly that the best thing we can give our children is a good home life between parents. Once I heard the statement even James Dobson didn't have perfect parents. We live in a sin sick world, just look at our government. I see dysfunction passed on to the next generation of children in those families that have struggled to learn God's plan. I have been on this journey for 30 plus years and have had God working on me and fixing things for a long time. In fact I believe God will be working on me my whole life. We live in a dysfunctional world. People disrespecting each other and even civil authority. A strong home leads to a strong country. God's plan works. I see it work even in non Christian homes where the principles that God laid out are followed. Many a time I wished I had learned some things when my children were small. I feel I could have been a much better parent had I followed his plan and had a spouse that loved God and me and we were mutually submissive to god and each other. It is hard to pick up the pieces in the next generation. You see children living the consequences of an ungodly lifestyle and wish I had taught them better. I see families, even other dysfunctional ones that passed on their faith and things just work so much better with God. God is the answer for our fallen world, and for a fallen sinful people. His ways, his laws, his commandments, his precepts work. Then most of all God sent Jesus to a sinful world to redeem us from the consequences of our sins. I am so thankful for what God has done for me already. Yes, I have suffered the consequences of sin in my life. I have been forgiven and God is still working on me. A good relationship with a spouse is one of the best gifts from God. I am so thankful for what God has done for me. Each generation needs to find God  for themselves. Even those in the best of homes still need God or sin will take its toll on them. Jesus is the answer for our world, our country, our homes, and our lives. God bless, LVZ.