Have you noticed that the world is becoming more and more dangerous to live in? There are more wars and rumors of war going on. People are taking their anger and frustration on the society, government, law enforcement, etc; More so, our school system are having to cope with a lot of issues in their effort to educate our children. I am convinced that most of the challenges facing our nation today are primarily moral and spiritual. If we can solve our moral and spiritual problems, we can successfully face any challenge in our society. The big question is how can we successfully solve our moral and spiritual crisis as a society? I strongly believe that the cure for most of our social ills is the family. So, may I ask you this question – how is your family?

The family is a proto type of the society. A nation’s behavior is a reflection of its local society and the society is a reflection of the family. So a society is only as strong as its families. Everything going wrong in the society can be traced back to the breakdown of the family unit. When you hear about violence, suicide, incarceration, divorce, incest, runaways, subcultures (gang), school dropout, etc; these are symptoms of a bigger problem called family dysfunction. So let me encourage you to work harder on putting your family together. If our individual family is unhealthy, we cannot build a strong nation. The family is the key to a stable, productive and healthy nation. No government program can heal a nation much better than the family. No government spending can correct a national problem better than the restoration of the family. The home is still the most stable place for any child’s development.

Today, I am concerned about too many broken homes, too many family dysfunction and too many unhealthy marriages. Just think about it. Of what good if we build big corporations and big institutions but the people who work in it are products of broken home? Of what good if we create new jobs but the people cannot even pass drug test to qualify for the jobs. That is exactly why the Bible said that if the foundation is destroyed, what can the righteous do. (Psalms 11:3) The foundation of every society is the family. The foundation of every nation is the family. The Bible in essence is saying if the foundation is messed up, the game is over.

Just look at our school system. Have you noticed how behavior and discipline issues are on the rise? Have you ever wonder why our Juvenile court system stays busy throughout the year? The obvious answer is that many of our young people are coming from homes with no structure and very little guidance. The good news is that we have the power to turn things around. The big question is whether or not we are willing to do so. I am confident that things will get better but I certainly will like to see it in my life time.

The family is the key to the strength of any viable society. I am believing God for a community where all fathers will step to the plate to become protector, provide and priest in their own home. I am equally praying for a community where every mother will take pride in motherhood rather than just looking pretty and having fun. If we all focus on the family first, our nation will be helped automatically. If our families are strong, our nation is bound to be strong. Then there will be less crime, less poverty, less wars, less depression, less sickness, less disease, less division, less incarceration, etc; We must not turnover the responsibility of each individual family to the government. The government is not a mother or a father. The government cannot fix our marriage nor raise our children. While there is nothing wrong for the government to help and assist the families, we must be careful that we don’t dump our children on the government. Mothers and fathers are still God’s first responders when it comes to the teaching, training and discipline of the children. If we failed in our basic family responsibility, the result may be catastrophic.

Today, many people are complaining about poor leadership in government, business, politic, church, community, law enforcement, etc. But don’t forget that these leaders came from our community and consequently our homes. So if we truly want better government, better church, better community, better police force, and better economy, we’ve got to have better families. We must have the courage not only to make babies but to raise them up to be good citizens. Just because we live in a free society doesn’t mean we should allow children to grow up in a home without rules or boundaries. Regrettably, if we don’t discipline our children, the law enforcement officers will.

Not too long ago, I was privileged to visit Israel. One thing that I noticed and admired about the Jews is the quality and quantity of the value they placed on the family. Their family is more important to them than their career, business, education or even government. No wonder why they prosper wherever they go.

I thank God for my parents. They had a habit of correcting me whenever and wherever I messed up. I realize that is out of style nowadays but I am so glad that they didn’t let me get away with any wrong doing. They were not abusive but they would often apply reasonable discipline wherever and whenever I acted a fool. Their discipline and correction was swift even if it was in front of my peers. Back then, I didn’t appreciate what they were doing but today, I thank God for their discipline and corrections. Guess what, I learned at an early age not to act a fool.

I sure hope and pray that you will take your family responsibility very seriously. The bottom line is for husband to love their wife. Likewise, wife love your husband. Parents love your children and raise them. All people, love your family and dwell in unity. Together, we can make this world a better place.