Community Through My Eyes--The Family

  The family unit can and should be the bread and butter for all other community existing in our world today. Without healthy families the communities which branch out from them will not flourish. Neighborhoods, schools, churches, other non-profits, other for-profits will all fail if the family community is not running on all cylinders. One might think this is a rather extreme statement but my experience out and about has told me otherwise. Healthy families make the world go round so to speak. They put the spark in our neighborhoods, schools, and other groups and organizations all over the world. Is there a perfectly healthy family out there? My experience out and about would also tell me no. I don't need to look any further than my own. Should that stop us from trying to work as hard as we can to be perfect families? I would hope not. However, if we all just accept the fact that families will never be perfect and quit working on making them better then we will never bring the change our world needs. If for nothing else we need to teach our children how to make a difference. The world they are growing up in is becoming more tolerant of everything meaningless and less life-changing of what connects people together. The families hold a very important key. It's time we all start opening some new doors.

  Almost two years ago (one month shy of our two year anniversary) my family and I decided to move to North Carolina. Most of you reading this already knew that. However you don't know all of our thought process in arriving at this decision. In some ways the idea of family played a huge part in signing off on this new adventure. Yes, we moved away from a lot of our families and great friends to a place where we knew virtually no one. On the surface people might say this is crazy. Well, call me and my family crazy! Our family needed a recalibration. I felt like the five of us needed to become closer on a deeper level. In order for us to open new doors now and in the future there were some things my wife and I had to experience. There were some things our three children needed to experience. We all have done that in different ways. We rely on each other greatly and each one of us has grown in specific areas. We are not perfect however. There is more to do and learn. We have grown together in the last two years through good and bad times. We continue to build up one another and continue in our search for the purposes for now and the future. And the five of us are on the adventure of a lifetime.

  So, what's wrong with our families today? Why is there such a disconnect between the different members of all of our families? For starters we have allowed the world to dictate how, when, why and what we do. We have let society drive our purpose and we have become more like passengers on a train. Let me ask all of us a question: When was the last time you had a sit-down dinner and just talked without iPhones buzzing or the television blaring? Having a sit-down dinner might not be possible because everyone may live in a different place. Those situations are out there no doubt. I am talking about the family who all live under the same roof and don't stop for 15 minutes to just be a family. It is needed greatly and kudos to you if you are amongst those who do. We need to pray together, laugh and have fun together, eat and watch a movie together. In this fast paced world we need to do more of all of those things. Time well spent together will not only create memories within but will catalyze the change needed all around. It's the kind of wholesome change a family can bring to a world desperate for feeling alive.

 There are certainly many more things we could look at in terms of what is wrong with families. However, I want to focus on what can be done when families work together. It is rather easy to sit back and list a myriad of reasons why families are failing. The glass half empty approach has never been my calling card. I see the greatness in families. I see the potential families have to make a difference in this world. I see other kids in my surrounding community who come from broken families. Maybe their mom left or they have not seen their dad for many years. Some are absent even when present. I think those are the kind that hurt the most. In any case families need to take back what's been let go over the years. Spend the time together on a deeper level. Come up with a family mission and vision statement. As I was typing this post I had that exact thought for my own family. It's going to happen. You can count on it my friends.

  Families will make a mark for sure as the years move ahead. Our world won't survive without healthy community at home. Take charge of your family today. Whatever your family situation there is always hope. Hope must bring a call to action however. Action is brought about by a fuel called passion. When we become passionate about anything, we want nothing more than to see it come to fruition. Passions turn things from bad to good. I want to see healthy families and I am going to continue working on my own. These blog posts inspire me to do better. They cause me to look in the mirror and perform a gut check. Am I the best dad and husband/best friend I can be? No, I am not. Has my family arrived as the end-all-be-all of families? No, we have not. We must stay the course and set sail on the waters of change. Our Captain is in control and we are following His lead. Families are forever. We must not flinch. They must be protected. Families must bring needed change. Are you and your family on board? I hope so. We need you. Remember, it's about the dash!