Strong families are the foundation of stable societies. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines family as those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe; a race; a kindred; a lineage; a course of descent; genealogy; a line of ancestry.
Designed by God
Families are not an outdated social norm; they were designed by God to be a blessing. God created the family when He brought Adam and Eve together in the Garden.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth(Genesis 1:27-28).
God gave the first family a mission – to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, and exercise authority over every other thing on the earth. When God assigns a task, He also gives the ability to accomplish it. That's why He created the family as a male and a female. Otherwise, the assignment of multiplication could not have been fulfilled.
God created man and woman for the purpose of developing a massive family for Him to love. John 1:12 tells us that everyone who accepts Jesus becomes one of God’s children. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12). Malachi 2: 15 confirms that God wants a big family. It reads: And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Under Attack
God's plan was for godly children to come from the union of a godly husband and wife; today, that unit is called the nuclear family, and it is under attack.
Did you know that the divorce rate for African Americans in Detroit is 77%? Only about 45% of African American households in the United States contain both a mother and a father, but fathers play a vital role in raising godly children. Ephesians 6:4 emphasizes the importance of fathers. It says: And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture [feeding] and admonition [warnings] of the Lord.
Our children face many challenges in today’s world, and one of the biggest is the lack of fathers. Nearly 8 out of 10 children today don't have a father in the home to admonish and nurture them in the ways of the Lord. We encourage single moms to include the children's father in their lives – unless, of course, it is a dangerous situation. If the birth father can't be a godly influence, perhaps they have a godly grandfather or another relative who can fill that role.
Submission Moves You Forward
Ephesians 5:2 tells us: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
The word submit comes from two words – sub and mission. Sub means to get under. In other words, to be in submissionmeans to get under the same mission. Husbands and wives should work together to accomplish what God has called them to do. Similarly, single women should have their relationship with God right and submit to God's mission. Submission – getting under God’s mission – will move you forward regardless of your situation.
As Faith Leaders, let’s commit to building strong families by teaching God’s Word on the subject of husbands, wives, and children. God’s best is for a husband and wife to have children and train them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). But even in single-parent homes, as long as the head of the household has their relationship with God right, God will guide and provide.