"I wish someone would have taught me that when I was younger." These words spoken by a friend of mine yesterday remind me of the root of all our problems. Although these words came out of a conversation about freedom being both a privilege and a responsibility, they led us to a conversation about moms and dads. It is my deep and well-researched conviction that the root of all our problems is the break down of the family.
The social problems I have been researching at work and the people I have been personally counseling in the past week have a common denominator. The criminal activity, abandoned children, educational underperformance, lack of life skills, addictions, poor mental health, etc. all have links back to dysfunctional families. When I spent 6 months investigating potential solutions to outstanding problems among the poor in Fort Worth, it was the same. I concluded that "Fatherlessness" is the most critical need to fill.
Parents have the power to build character, confidence, wisdom, life skills, contentment, and all the other essential elements for healthy human beings. Or the absence of engaged parents (with wisdom and values to transfer) can strip a person of the necessary foundations for life. The biblical pattern for developing right character and love and justice and wisdom is simple but missing from most people's lives: "teach your children by talking to them when you sit in your house, walk around, lie down and get up" (Deuteronomy 6:7).
If you are a parent, you can change the world one day at a time. Don't let your child tell some future friend, mentor or judge, "I wish someone would have taught me that when I was younger." Dysfunctional families might be the root of all our problems, but positively that means healthy, intentional families can be the solution to all our problems. It's a bold statement, but truer than you first realize.
The social problems I have been researching at work and the people I have been personally counseling in the past week have a common denominator. The criminal activity, abandoned children, educational underperformance, lack of life skills, addictions, poor mental health, etc. all have links back to dysfunctional families. When I spent 6 months investigating potential solutions to outstanding problems among the poor in Fort Worth, it was the same. I concluded that "Fatherlessness" is the most critical need to fill.
Parents have the power to build character, confidence, wisdom, life skills, contentment, and all the other essential elements for healthy human beings. Or the absence of engaged parents (with wisdom and values to transfer) can strip a person of the necessary foundations for life. The biblical pattern for developing right character and love and justice and wisdom is simple but missing from most people's lives: "teach your children by talking to them when you sit in your house, walk around, lie down and get up" (Deuteronomy 6:7).
If you are a parent, you can change the world one day at a time. Don't let your child tell some future friend, mentor or judge, "I wish someone would have taught me that when I was younger." Dysfunctional families might be the root of all our problems, but positively that means healthy, intentional families can be the solution to all our problems. It's a bold statement, but truer than you first realize.
RSS Feed
