You might’ve heard the saying, “As the family goes, so goes the nation.” Looking at the state of our nation today, that’s hard to deny. The enemy has done his best to diminish our family structure, and it has wreaked havoc upon our country.
As alarming as this can feel, God doesn’t want us to be afraid of what will happen to our families; he wants us to fight for them, much like he wanted the Jews to fight for their families in Nehemiah 4.
Their culture was in a hard place, too, when Nehemiah spoke these words: “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your homes!” (v. 14).
Building a flourishing family is a fight, but God has given us everything we need to win! In Malachi 4:6, we’re promised He will turn the hearts of the fathers (parents) to the children, but we have a part to play.
First, we have to give them a pattern for how to live. We don’t get to decide ifwe’ll impact our kids; we simply get to decide what kind of impact we’ll have. As we let God lead us, we will have what we need to lead them well.
We must also nurture their potential. It’s our job to discipline them and teach them discipline so that they become who God created them to be. Ephesians 6:4 (KJV) says, “…provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Notice, God doesn’t want us provoking our kids—being harsh with them—but He does want us warning, rebuking, and disciplining them. As my husband says, “If it’s hard on them now, it’ll be easy on them later! If it’s easy on them now, it’ll be hard on them later!” There’s no safer place to learn God’s way than in a home full of love.
We should also intentionally pass on our faith, laying a firm foundation for generational blessing. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells us this teaching often happens in the everydayness of life. The passage says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Maybe you weren’t raised in a godly family. Maybe your upbringing was even filled with hurt, trauma, even abuse. If that’s your story, please know I am sosorry. That never should have happened. But please, be encouraged, too! Just because you didn’t come from a godly family doesn’t mean a godly family can’t come from you.
The start of your story might not have been up to you, but the rest of it is. As Deuteronomy 30:19 says, you canchoose life—for you and those who come after you!
