Summer time is a time when many families get together for quality family time or even a family reunion. You sometimes see this happening in a city park. Some families have special tee-shirts made up with the family name and the year printed on them. Sometimes, it is a time when a person meets a relative they have heard about but have never met before.  At larger events, there is the inevitable discussion about which branch of the family an individual comes from.

Not long ago, my wife and I were happy to have all of our immediate family visit. Our two children, their spouses and all our grandchildren stayed under one roof during that time. This was a special treat for us since our individual lives have taken us to different parts of North America. It was especially wonderful to see the cousins immediately begin interacting and playing together. Even though they have not grown up together, some family traits emerge to be common to them all. We are very blessed to have a close family relationship in spite of distance between us.

When God was blessing Abraham (Genesis:22:17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and Genesis:32:12And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.), He promised him that his descendants would become as numerous as the sand of the sea or the stars of the heaven.  Imagine a family reunion of that scope. Of course, Abraham did not have the opportunity to meet all of those descendants.

Society is full of children who are neglected emotionally and sometimes physically. We see street children and children who, because of unhappy homes, run away and find themselves taken advantage of by others.

Then there are the numerous divorces that occur every year. These days, is there any family not affected by at least one divorce? Of course, there are times when a divorce is necessary. However, there must be something that we, as a society, should be doing differently to have a better life – for ourselves and for our children.

Part of the problem is that relationships are entered in without sufficient forethought. Our e-booklet Guys, Girls, and God – Dating and Relationships That Work  would be a good resource for all young people to read. It explains how to build a relationship with the opposite sex while keeping God in mind.

A good follow-up to that booklet is Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension . This booklet looks at the spiritual significance of marriage and family and gives practical advice for real challenges that inevitably arise.

Having a good stable marriage and family creates a lasting legacy for the family to come and for society.

Anthony Wasilkoff