BEING HUMAN MEANS A SIMPLE LIFE WITH GOOD FAITH AND ACTION
MarriageandFamily:The
Missing Dimension
In Western nations,
including the
United States, Canada and
Europe, close to half of all first-time
marriages end in divorce.
People who willingly say, “I do,” increasingly
end up changing their
words to “I won’t anymore.”
Based on the failure rate
of today’s marriages, some sociologists have
predicted that marriage
will soon become obsolete. But despite the high
odds against a happy,
lifelong relationship, couples still get married and
still hope to spend a
lifetime together.
Why do we continue to
pursue this ideal? And where does God fit in
the picture? Did He have
anything to do with the institution of marriage
and, if so, did He give
us
any instructions? When
all else fails, maybe we
should read the
directions!
Of course, the problems
encountered in marriages
are not limited to just
husbands and wives when
children are involved.
For when They enter the
mix, they also experience
the consequences of their
parents’ relationship—whether sound and
strong or troubled and
broken.
Child Rearing in crisis
A crisis in child rearing
has developed in part because of the crisis in
marriages. Reflecting the
consequences of divorce and parents who don’t
know how to parent,
children arrive on the doorsteps of schools unprepared to learn. Schools are
now burdened with teaching children basic
principles such as
civility and respect that used to be universally taught
by parents and that
helped prepare children to learn.
Now schools must teach
children these fundamental concepts before
they can hope to educate
them. In conjunction with the added job of
preparing children to
learn, schools today are being heavily criticized by
demanding parents for not
doing a better job of teaching their children.
Psychologist Robert Evans
argues that in the United States educational
system the crisis isn’t
one of schooling (as the news media, parents and
governmental leaders
often complain) but rather one of
child rearing.
According to Evans, “The
symptoms of this crisis—an accelerating
deterioration in the
civility, values, work ethic, and academic achievement
of many youth—appear most
vividly at school, and so the crisis is often
seen as educational, but
it begins well before school and extends well
beyond it . Its immediate
cause lies at home with parents, who are suffering a widespread loss of
confidence and competence”
Family Matters:
Where can you find answers?
So what are the keys to a
happy, successful marriage and family?
Recognizing the unique
value marriages provide for individuals and
communities alike, many
churches now offer (or in some cases require)
premarital counseling for
couples before performing their marriages.
Some couples are choosing
a new type of marriage called “covenant
marriage”—a relationship
more difficult to end—in an effort to
“divorce-proof” their
marriages.
Many organizations and
programs have been established to strengthen
marriages and families.
Marriage retreats, seminars, enrichment programs and parenting classes abound.
Counselors specialize in helping
couples repair broken
relationships and in helping parents work with
their children. But the
results are limited and not overly encouraging.
Marriages still end in
divorce and the crisis in child rearing continues.
What can we offer in this
sea of knowledge that can help you experience a better marriage and contented,
respectful, responsible children
who will be successful in
school and life? The answer is a
clear understanding
of God’s purpose for
marriage and family, the primary reasons
people experience
problems in these areas and practical things you can
do to strengthen your
marriage and family.
Join us as we explore the
path God reveals and steps you can take to
enjoy the universal dream
of a happy, successful marriage and family.
Introduction
The problems encountered
in marriages are not limited to
husbands and wives. When
children enter the mix, they also
experience the
consequences of their parents’ relationship
whether sound and strong
or troubled and broken.
• If you’re not already a subscriber,
request a free subscription to our
gods-word by gaurav pawar daily artical -magazine
The Good News at
• While you’re at it, also request a
free subscription to our
World News
and good-nwse
newsletter
No comments:
Post a Comment