The Family - Pt 1

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-4 ESV). Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. It is a special day of the year for many families. This year is a bit unusual in that we have Faith and Logan while their parents, Kyle and Brandy, are away. That began my thinking about family. Most of you know I am an admirer of former President George H. W. Bush. A few years ago, someone asked the former president, "What is your greatest accomplishment in life?" I thought that was an interesting question to ask someone like him, who has quite a long list of achievements. After all, he was the U. S. Ambassador to China, the director of the CIA, the Vice-President for two terms under President Reagan, and then, of course, the President of the United States himself. That is not to mention, of course, that one of his sons, George W. Bush, was the President of the United States also, while another, Jeb Bush, was the governor of Florida, and now a presumptive candidate for president in the 2016 elections. I would have expected him to point to the accomplishments of his children or to his own success. Yet here was his answer: "My children still come home to see me." There is a man who has his priorities in order. As a pastor for over forty-five years, I have visited people who are coming to the end of their lives. It is easy to see what really matters to them. It almost always comes back to faith and family. When our lives are over, it is not going to matter how many business deals you made, how many investments you have, or how many things you've accumulated. When it is all said and done, it will come down to the basic values of faith and family. In the next few days we’ll examine a few things about family that may remind us of the importance of our commitment to one another. Tragically, so many today are abandoning their families to chase after something they rationalize as more of a priority. We must renew our commitment to our spouses and children. We cannot even for a moment consider turning our backs on them. This is the only way they may consider “coming home” to us.