Have you noticed the intensity of the world we live in? Have you felt its effect on your family? We live in a generation where time-saving conveniences and technology only increase our pace and pressure us to cram more into our day. We live in a society that has incurred the largest national debt of all time. Families are encouraged to overextend themselves financially, creating greater stress and pressure. And all of this erodes family security, time to relax, and even time to sit around the same table to enjoy a meal together.

Think for a moment, what have you been doing to preserve the most valuable asset you possess – your family? Are we allowing influential forces "from the outside" to destroy the happiness and security of the family "within our homes"?

               I remember when I was eight years old, my parents told my sixteen-year-old brother and me that we were going on a boat trip. They said each of us could invite a friend. When the day arrived, we excitedly boarded the boat. As boys typically do, we ran to the upper deck while Mom and Dad chose seats on the lower deck.

               We hadn't even started having fun when two rude teenagers aggressively approached us, looking at me and saying in a threatening tone, “Why did you drop that cup on me?” I had no idea what he was talking about – I didn't even have a cup, much less dropped anything on them. Then he said, “We're going to call our friends and throw you overboard.” I was terrified! My heart started pounding, I ran to the other side of the deck where my brother was with his friend and told them what had happened. That's when I found out my brother had dropped the cup. He said, “We'd better go with Dad.”

We ran downstairs, found Mom and Dad, and told them what had happened. Dad calmly said, “Everything will be fine, stay here.” So we all sat together in a semicircle near Dad. He was right, nothing happened. After twenty or thirty minutes, I was relaxing and starting to enjoy the ride when suddenly I had the feeling someone was behind me. I was sure if I looked, I'd see someone staring at me. I looked back hesitantly, and sure enough, there were not just one, but ten pairs of eyes looking at me!

That's when the biggest of them – bigger than my dad – said to me, “We're going to throw you overboard.” My heart started pounding with terror. I knew he would really do it. My dad then stood up and faced those ten troublemakers and calmly said, “You'll have to go through me first.” I will never forget those words and his gaze. It was an electrifying moment – my dad faced down the challengers.

For a long, tense moment, they simply stared at each other. Then my older brother stood up and said, “That's right, and me too!” Then his friend stood up. I remained seated, clutching the arms of the chair, paralyzed. After a long silence, the group began to leave one by one without saying a word.

               I share this incredible experience with you because my Dad was my hero. He taught me what it means to preserve the family, not just physically, but in every way. Parents should be the heroes, and our homes should be a refuge in a cruel world. (If you are a single parent, you can also be a hero). The essence of the words my father spoke that day is: everything must pass through the parent before it affects the family. Think about this! What are the influences affecting your family's happiness, peace, and security!

Television: What about television programs? Are they building strong character traits in your family or destroying them? Are they determining the values, attitudes, and vocabularies in your family?

Friendships: Are they influencing respect between you and your children? Are they strengthening family commitments or weakening your family's unity? Are they leading your children into destructive habits?

Internet/Web Surfing: Is this activity creating unity between you and your family or turning each of you into an island? Is it controlling your family time?

These are just a few reflective questions we need to answer honestly, or we will (by omission) face the sad consequences of these "troublemakers" destroying our families and throwing the peace, happiness, and security of our homes overboard.

Let's be heroes in our families and make our home a refuge. Let's not simply be swept away by the current of a collapsing society. Instead, let's start making a difference immediately, one day at a time. Here are some simple steps to get started:

·         Do something fun with your family two to three times a week.

·         Have at least one meal together each day, taking time to talk about your real lives.

·         Take an interest in their interests.

·         Do projects together.

Perhaps you need to redirect your plans to preserve your family, but the investment will yield great dividends. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:20, “guard what has been entrusted to you.” It is our privilege and responsibility as parents to preserve our families. This won't happen by chance!

A survey was conducted with a group of young people asking the following question: “What is the greatest gift you could receive?” The surprising and shocking answer was “more time with my mom and dad.” Let's take this seriously and immediately start preserving our families.

Written by:Tom Waters

Translated by Rute Bazan. Used with permission from Restoration International (www.restoration-international.org)

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