Putting An End
BY JULIE COSGROVE
Remember watching The Waltons on TV ?
“ Goodnight Pop . Goodnight Grandad .”
“ Goodnight , Jon Boy .”
Up until one hundred years ago , multi-generational families were the norm . In our volatile economy , they are once again emerging . Grandparents are moving in with the kids and grand kids . Granny Homes , module units you can plop in your backyard with all the bells and whistles and monitoring alarms , are advertised on social media as the coolest thing ever .
But for most of us , our relatives live miles away , reachable only by plane , train or a long car commute . Texting and Skype aside , they are just not there day in and day out to help with tough decisions , teach us parenting skills , and help raise the kids in a godly manner . They cannot watch over teens and offer sound advice . Babysitting is out of the question , unless it is for one or two weeks when school is on break . And a shoulder to sniffle on or a sounding board when marital strife rears up ? Not really there .
Politicians tell us it takes a village to raise a child . Their premise is somewhat true . Kids , especially pre-teens and teenagers , listen to others while turning a deaf ear to their parents . But our society is so mobile , that often neighbors never truly get to know each other , much less be there for each other .
Today , it takes a church to raise our kids . There is a reason we are called brothers and sisters in Christ . Our congregations are our extended family . Sunday school teachers , youth leaders , pastors , and small supper groups gather to share common values , teach the Word and fellowship the way multi-generational homes once did . Need an emergency babysitter ? Call your church friends . Want casseroles while you recover from surgery ? Contact the women ’ s group leaders . Desire for your kids to be brought up with wholesome , godly views and hang out with kids you don ’ t have to vet ? Text the youth pastors . Need marital advice ? That sweet couple who has been married forty-five years who sit two pews up are a resource . Want to know if your child ’ s behavior swing is normal ? Ask the parents who have kids in the Sunday school class above yours . You can trust the advice , answers and comforting responses to be biblically sound . Not so much in your neighborhood anymore .
This is why our church family is even more important than ever . Society no longer follows the morals and ethics the church teaches . We do not belong to this world , though we are called to live in it so we can lead others to Christ . In fact , Jesus warned , If you belonged to the world , it would love you as its own . As it is , you do not belong to the world , but I have chosen you out of the world . That is why the world hates you . John 15:19
We cannot rely on the world to