Who Cares?

We now live in a me first society. There are so many parents who won't even put their own children's needs ahead of their pleasures. Think of how many kids today are raised by grandparents. Consider the number of kids in foster care. Some days I am ashamed to be part of this generation. My wife and I often talk about how nice it would have been to grow up in the 1950's. Although I truly enjoy the comforts of today's technology, I would love to raise my kids in a more wholesome time.

Today there is no sense of community. No one sits on their front porch and talks with their neighbor. We are a bunch of zombies glued to our smart phones. Our communication is text messages and emails. Our poor communication conveys little compassion or concern for others. When I was a kid there was always 15 or 20 of us out nearly every summer night playing spotlight. Today's kids are nowhere to be found, unless you find their television, computer, or video games. Just like with adults, most children today are having less and less interaction. I think this is a big reason we tend to care less about each other these days. We fail to invest time in one another.

This is especially a tremendous down fall for Christians. Imagine how powerful our influence of sharing Christ would be if lost people around us knew we really cared for them. What if our hearts were broken for these souls and our actions displayed it. I think this holds true with leadership as well with fathers. If our wife and kids can see it hurts us when they hurt, that is so powerful. Us dads need to take ownership of our family problems. We all spend so much time today trying to stay connected. All the while we are pushing ourselves further and further away. Perhaps it is time to unplug from these convienences more often and focus back on relationships.

Encourage

Somebody once said they could survive a week on one compliment. There was a time I thought encouragement was unnecessary. I felt everyone should have enough drive within to be successful. I have now realized the importance of encouragement in the lives of others. Often it is the one element missing that keeps a friend or family member from prospering.

Husbands need to be the encourager our wifes' need. I have not been all I should be to boost the confidence of my wife. They deserve it and most importantly, they need it. I have noticed a confident mother is nearly unstoppable. This is twice as important with a homeschool mom. They are fighting an uphill battle from the start. The commitment to educate children in the home is mostly unaccepted outside of the immediate family. Often it is not supported by friends and extended family. Society thinks your kids are at home watching cartoons all day. This adds up to a lot of pressure for a homeschool mom and means they need us more than ever.

How important is encouragement to our children? It is vital in there development. We have seen this in extreme cases with foster children in our home. Many kids spirit have been severely defeated. It is visible in their body language. Within days of being constantly built up and loved the difference is noticeable. It is like watering a tomato plant and physically seeing the growth daily.

God intends us to lift each other up. Iron sharpeneth iron. It also helps get the focus away from self. Just think what a few positive words can mean to a new Christian or someone convicted about salvation. We clearly spend too much time on the negative. Think of those few people you know who always have something nice to say. Think of how they make you feel. Let's be that person for those we influence.