Direct your children onto the right path, and when they
are older, they will not leave it. Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)
Families are a great gift from God. They do serve a purpose for us other than just providing us with a name. Our families fulfill certain basic needs we have as human beings.
Need: Protection – Security -
Survival of the species
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially
for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an
unbeliever. (I Timothy 5:8)
Function: The family is the child's source of economic
resources, which meet the various physical needs for food, shelter, and
clothing. To ensure that new babies actually survive to become adult members of
that society.
- Need: Love - Unconditional Acceptance
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each
other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)
Function: In order for the family to meet a child's
psychological needs, its members must be nurturing, convey mutual respect,
provide for intimacy, and engage in bonding and attachment.
- Need: Coping Skills – What do I do with negative circumstances and
feelings.
BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down
on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. (Ephesians 4:26)
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and
slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31)
Function: Teach by example proper ways to deal with loss,
grief, anger, others, etc.
- Need: Belonging - Identity - Individual Attention and group
acceptance.
…for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25b)
Function: The family conveys religious and cultural beliefs
and traditions to the next generation. Not just who we are but WHOSE we are.
Family Pride – Military.
- Need: Social Skills – How to be received in society and to
function.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only
such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so
that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)
Function: The family also socializes the child, guiding the
child to be members of the society beyond the family. To ensure that children
are satisfactorily socialized into the norms and values of society.
- Need: Communication – To be heard, not just talked to.
Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of
you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, (Ephesians 4:25a)
Function: Provide open forum for any topic or subject.
Everybody needs a place. A place where a person feels a personal
belonging, identity, security; growing, developing, connecting, relating; that
there is core of people who are tied together in a bond of mutual love and
respect. Our families are a gift from God to fulfill these needs for one
another. There are times for all of us that our families may not especially
feel like a gift but we need to remember how blessed we are! Part of our purpose in God’s perfect plan is
to help each other in our families with those needs, or else someone else will! Statistics show that these needs will be met
by someone. When needs are not met
within a family unit, people will find a “family unit” to meet their
needs. Usually this is not a good thing.
Let’s put aside ourselves and be there for our families to help meet the
needs so a lesser substitute is not found.
