Don't Focus On The Family

First, if you listen to the show "Focus on the Family" don't get me wrong here. I've heard some really good stuff on that program, so I mean no slight whatsoever -- I like their title, so I stole it and changed it.

That said, if that's ALL we do, and JUST focus on the family, we've missed it. It is NOT all about the family, despite what we hear from all kinds of voices these days.

Don't get me wrong, families are a great part of God's design. The Word says that "children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him" (Psalm 127:3) and "a wife of noble character is her husband’s crown" (Proverbs 12:4). I'm not trying to say instead "screw over the family" here, not at all!

But even though families are really great here on earth, marriages will ultimately end (maybe good news for some, but I don't want to go there!). I believe this because when responding to a question about marriage, Jesus replied "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:29-30). But I also believe it because the Word teaches that earthly marriages are SUPPOSED to be a picture of Christ's relationship with his people. After his return, that picture will be obsolete.

With that said, if all we are consumed with is contained within the four walls of our little house on our little street in our little city on this little teeny tiny planet, we've missed something. If our focus is to make sure our children are "happy" and/or to make sure they have a "better life" than we had, we've missed something. If our end goal is to stockpile enough so they're setup and we can chill out and relax until we cross the finish line at the end of this life, we've missed something.

There's more, a whole lot more. After all, our earthly life is a vapor, and then we have all of eternity ahead of us. What are we doing now to prepare for then?

So we shouldn't focus on the family, we should focus on the kingdom. We should spend our lives wisely now so that we can stand before our maker and hear those words "well done, good and faithful servant". Those words are worth more than anything on this earth.

Oh, and a funny thing -- if family members live according to what the Word says, something interesting should happen. Husbands will love their wives very much. Wives will respect their husbands greatly. Children will also be instructed and disciplined properly, and they'll be taught, and shown how, to love God with all of their little hearts rather than put him in a box on Sunday. Oh my goodness. A loving, peaceful, joy-filled, and happy home that loves the LORD, all as a side effect of focusing on the kingdom.

That sounds like a pretty good win-win to me. Let's pursue that.

Remember "we've only one life, it soon will be past, and only what's done for Christ will last".