Family Matters

For a parent, it’s difficult to stand on the sidelines and watch your child make poor choices in their friendships. Your child’s social environment is a big deal because those that surround you are able to influence you.

Last time on Family Matters we were responding to a cry for help from one of our listeners who feels like a loser and has lost hope in this life. A plea like this really touches our hearts at a deep level and we always want to step in and help as much as we can.

Have you ever felt as though your life is falling apart and there’s no hope for you? These kinds of feelings are not to be taken lightly and should be assessed by an outsider who can offer a different perspective on the situation. People who feel hopeless are of great concern to us at Focus on the Family.

Dealing with your child’s behavior at home is one thing, but when the pre-school teacher contacts you to talk about his or her behavior at school, you have another issue on your hands completely. We are not in control of the situation at school, and yet our parenting at home may be the cause of behavioral problems at school or during extra-mural activities.

Do you tend to feel that marriage is an outdated and pointless institution because after all, so many marriages end in divorce anyway? The statistics show that of those who are marriage age in our country only 33 percent are actually married, which is the lowest rate in the world. We think there’s a lot to be said about the significance of marriage.

With all the marriages that we see disintegrating around us, many young people must wonder if it's really worth it to get married at all. Well, we are certainly strong advocates for the sanctity of marriage, but we’d like to share some thoughts for those who are considering entering into this sacred bond.

In order to believe in an unseen God, we need to have faith. And although we may have faith, as human beings we can still find ourselves doubting God’s power at times. I think that many Christians throughout time have grappled with doubt, in fact, the bible has numerous accounts of those who doubted. We want to encourage those who have felt disqualified because of a lack of faith on the next Family Matters, stay tuned.

Biblical language can sometimes be difficult to decipher or interpret. It is full of imagery, comparisons, and complex descriptions. Bible scholars have poured over the words with fine-tooth combs to pull out the pearls of what God wants to tell His people through His word. Something that can take time for us to wrap our heads around, is the Bible’s description of God’s relationship with a man being one of intimacy, compared with marriage, and using sexual language. This has caused much dissension among Christians and non-believers alike, and we’d like to briefly address this subject on the next Family Matters, stay tuned.

If you are the mother of a married child, you’ll understand that the relationship status has changed a great deal. Your adult child is no longer your responsibility in terms of looking after but is now in a family of his or her own. But if there are things in the relationship with the new spouse that seems unhealthy and concerning, when is it appropriate to offer your opinion or advice?

As a grandparent it can sometimes be difficult to watch from the sidelines as the job of parenting is left to your child. You may feel that you could do a better job or at least you would do certain things differently. But what happens if you are witnessing your grandchildren being neglected and exposed to unhealthy conditions?