FOUNDATIONS - PART 2

 

In our last blog post, I shared Part One of the “Foundations Series” on our blog ending with the importance of the family unit. I also shared some statistics that were crucial to the empowerment of the family.

I have been ridiculed for being transparent, which I don’t understand. But, for the purpose of this blog. I would admit as a man that didn’t have a plan for his future, the foundations that were set early in my life were of no effect. It is one thing to set a foundation and it’s another to use it to fulfill lifelong dreams and goals.

Characteristically, traits can form a foundation but without God it will be weak. Let me share a couple.

Work Ethic - My father was a hardworking man. He clocked in at 3am and clocked out at 3pm, setting an example of a good work ethic. The second thing was that my dad was always happy, outgoing, loved to talk, and very forgiving, which was a great set of attributes. He was also an alcoholic who drank every day, which was a vise that many men in his generation dealt with. He spoiled me as well. Which affected me in my life.  I remember my mom would ground me and as soon as my dad arrived from work, he asked what I was doing inside. My Mom was quick in telling him what I did wrong and then he would tell me to get outside with my buddies. No bueno!

Discipline - My mother’s middle name was “Discipline”. She would discipline the old fashion way, and most of you know what I mean. But I had already become immune to the correction that she was trying to teach me. This lady didn’t hold back. I remember when I told her that I was tired of being disciplined and she said if you are in my house, I set the rules and if you don’t like it, there’s the door. I walked out and got as far as my neighbor’s driveway and turned around. Quick decision huh?

You see, the foundation was set long before I became a troubled teen. In my previous blog I mentioned that the greatest predictor of life success was one's capacity for warm, intimate relationships, with spouse, family, parents, and friends. To be honest I was starving for an intimate relationship with my family, parents and friends. Remember the song; “Looking for love in all the wrong places”? Well unfortunately most teens take a wrong turn when the attributes are lacking, especially Godly attributes. Lack of intimacy will cause misinterpretations due to a lack of communication; anger sets in which makes the devil happy. To be honest lack of intimacy will create an emotional separation.

If marriages lack intimacy it may lead to divorce. On November of 1980 my first daughter was born, and I was 16 years old. We married when I turned 18 but divorced 12 years later. Saying that to show that if godly foundations are not set, how can we expect success. My dad divorced and then married my mom. What kind of foundation was set?

Please understand that I am not playing the blame game. We are responsible for our decisions in life. I am very determined that in teaching others, I need to share personal experiences when possible.

But understand that the family unit is Important and worth the effort to Fix unless it becomes abusive and life threatening. Malachi 2:16 reads; “I the Lord hate divorce”. We must notice that Malachi didn’t say God hates divorced people. You see, In Christ, there is always a fresh start available to us when life knocks us down. But clearly, the better our relationships are at home, the more effective we are in life. If we strengthen our families, we will enhance our opportunities to succeed.

God always gives us the opportunity to rebuild the family foundation by His Word. Come on somebody!

Matthew 7:24-27 reads; “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash”.

All families will go through storms. It doesn’t matter if you make all the right decisions or all the wrong decisions in life – you will face storms. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, educated, uneducated, black, white, or brown, you will face storms. It doesn’t even matter if you are righteous or unrighteous – you will face storms! Storms, according to Jesus, come to every home, the foolish homes and the wise homes as well.

A “nuclear family” meaning two parents and their siblings, is crucial in our children’s upbringing. The percentage of teens raised by a mom and dad sees a major increase when foundations are set. We also have seen the effects of homes with only one parent.

Storms come in many forms: financial storms, physical storms, emotional storms, job loss storms, teenage rebellion storms, marital strife storms, loss of loved one’s storms. But only some homes will make it through the storms of life. One will collapse while another stands. And here’s the key – it was the house that had the right foundation.

Matthew 7:25 reads; “Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock”.

I heard a story about a ship that capsized at sea. Many people drowned, but one teenager was found clinging to a rock. After he was rescued, someone asked him if he was terrified. He responded by saying, “Yes, I was shaking all the time … but the rock wasn’t.”

When storms hit your family, the question is what kind of foundation have you been building on? Build your family life not on the wisdom of this world, but on the wisdom of Almighty God.

Genesis 2:18, 21-24 reads; “And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”.

So very simply, the reason why the Bible, God’s wisdom, should be the foundation for how we build our families is that He is the one who created “family.” He knows how to make it work best, and then we will come into agreement.

Family life is often challenging because everyone has an opinion. One says, “I think we ought to spend our money on this.” The other says, “Well I think we ought to spend it on that!” “I think we ought to discipline the kids this way.” “Well, I think we ought to discipline them that way!”

I think, you think, we all think our own opinions.

And if you happen to get a couple of people in the same room who have really strong opinions and who generally stick to their guns, you’ll have family chaos, leading to family frustration, which leads to families falling apart.

But when we agree as a family to build our homes based on the wisdom of the One who invented the family, then it becomes easy to agree. When God’s wisdom is the foundation to the family, the question is not what you say or what I say – it’s what God says.

Let me end by sharing that I probably made every mistake possible in marriage and even as a father. My friends, in an eggshell, no one can succeed without a godly foundation from His Word.

The unsettling world we see today didn’t just begin yesterday or 5 or 10 years ago. It is the result a bad foundation.  set by building on the foundations of this world.

Word!

FOUNDATIONS PART 1

 

Reaching 60 years old, I began to look back on what has changed positively as well as negatively. I have always believed that looking back has always been where we see knowledge become wisdom. We can always do the same thing and never get anywhere.

Our foundational upbringing is where we gain our physical, financial, and spiritual foundations. And let me break it down a little. I was personally raised on Tortillas and Sopas which are not good for our body. Born in government housing, my parents bought their first home in 1970.

I was reminded of a history study about the city of Jerusalem. I learned that the city had been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. From a religious perspective, the Bible, which mentions Jerusalem more than any other place (about 800 times), states, “the Lord has chosen Jerusalem and will dwell there forever” (Psalm 132:13-14) and expressly calls upon God's people to never forget Jerusalem and to “exalt it above their chief joy” (Psalm 137:5-6). And Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

I believe a foundation was set by being the city where Jesus was crucified, Died, Buried and Resurrected. But as the city has been fought for, destroyed, and rebuilt, it gives me an example of a foundation being built even if it was rebuilt over the rubble of war. Foundations can be restructured in life when we understand the true foundation is the Lord!

Foundations are essential in homes that we live in whether it is concrete or even a foundation built on plain dirt. I worked in construction early in life and the one thing that stood out was that we had to shift dirt from one site to another using heavy machinery. But every layer of dirt had to be compacted and tested for density. The data is used for support of building foundations, roads, or any other earth retaining structures.

In my studies I recognized the word “Earth” is repeated. But we all know the main scripture in Genesis 1:1 says that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”. Our Father began teaching us since the inception of the earth that nothing can be built without a foundation. Glory to God!

Several articles I’ve read speak on the foundations of the family. But the truth is that we are witnessing a downward spiral in our country and have been for years. Maybe, you remember someone speaking to you and giving guidance. I remember my Mom warning me that whatever I did in life, whether good or bad would come with a price. Of course, financially, spiritually or physically!

We all know that the family unit continues to be under attack. According to an article, it is likely that 39% of marriages today will end in divorce, and that divorce can be financially devastating. Statistics indicate that more than 30% of child support payments are never paid and less than 50% are paid in full. Divorce is especially hard on women aged 50+, who generally suffer a 45% decrease in their standard of living. The family is where the foundations are built.

I found this interesting; In an effort to understand what creates a successful and fulfilling life, Harvard Medical School began to track 268 male students in 1938, and followed them through their lives. The results gathered over the decades have been astounding and have added much to the understanding of what promotes real success, or “flourishing,” in life. The researchers determined that regardless of one's socioeconomic status, the greatest predictor of life success was one's capacity for warm, intimate relationships, with spouse, family, parents, and friends. I hope you can see why the family is being attacked.

The enemy is dancing in joy due to the deterioration of the family and the wickedness we are witnessing in these distressing times. No one is exempt. Understand that even Christian families today find themselves divided and facing extraordinary challenges.

Thankfully, God has created the family to give us strength and a firm foundation for our society, and to be a safe haven against the storms of life. Of course, no family is perfect – all families have a few “rough edges!” But if your family or any other family you may know, is in need of a total makeover?

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