Proverbs 12:7 “The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.”
Psalm 103:17-18 “The love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments.”
In a chapter entitled “Families are Resistance Cells” from the book Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, author Rod Dreher quotes Václav Benda, a Christian leader in Prague who bravely stood against communism in the former Czechoslovakia. Benda emphasized the importance of a strong family in resisting totalitarianism. He said the family house must be a real home, “that is, a place which is livable and set apart, sheltered from the outer world; a place which is a starting-out point for adventures and experiences with the assurance of a safe return.”
Dreher also quotes Mária Komáromi, who with her late husband hosted meetings of young Christians in their Budapest apartment in defiance of Hungary’s socialist regime: “It’s no accident that every dictatorship always tries to break down the family, because it’s in the family that you get the strength to be able to fight. You have the feeling that they have your back, so you can go out into the world and face anything. It’s just as true today as it was under communism.”
A strong, unified family and close ties to godly friends supply courage to resist the anti-Christian values and threats accelerating around us. Whatever you think of COVID-19, no one can dispute that it has shrouded our faces from one another, increased human isolation, destroyed livelihoods, and prompted shutdowns that are harming families and churches. This Christmas season, if you are physically healthy, I urge you to gather with loved ones face-to-face, without masks, and in close proximity. This is not only vital for your mental state, but also your ability to withstand the world’s pressure to passively accept its derangements, lies, and blasphemies. Gathering to worship God and pray together with my church and with my wife, sons, daughters, and grandchildren not only brings great purpose and joy, but fortifies my will to go out and stand for truth, serving my Lord with courage and love.
God intends the family to be a fortress against an Enemy who is always looking for ways to distract, intimidate, and isolate us. A courageous, Christ-centered family comes from years of conscious intentionality and self-sacrifice, rigorous instruction, and ceaseless prayer. We must be together to fight together.
I’ll conclude with yet another quote from Rod Dreher’s book:
“In the coming soft totalitarianism, Christians will have to regard family life in a much more focused, serious way. The traditional Christian family is not merely a good idea – it is also a survival strategy for the faith in a time of persecution. Christians should stop taking family life for granted, instead approaching it in a more thoughtful, disciplined way. We cannot simply live as all other families live, except that we go to church on Sunday. Holding the correct theological beliefs and having the right intentions will not be enough. Christian parents must be intentionally countercultural in their approach to family dynamics. The days of living like everybody else and hoping our children turn out for the best are over. ”
Father, thank you for a family that loves you and loves each other. Please use our time together this Christmas season to awaken even greater courage in each of us. Help us to live “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” (Philippians 2:15)
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This week: Enjoy rest in the presence of your family, without apologies. If there are simmering troubles and conflicts among some family members, you are not alone. Peace and harmony are indeed beautiful – but rare – blessings. On your part, seek to be a peacemaker. For that, Jesus promises to bless you (see Matthew 5:9).
This is my last post for the year 2020. In January, as I did throughout 2019, I will begin posting every weekday on the Bible’s many teachings on work and career. If you haven’t yet shared this blog with a friend, please take a moment to do that now. If you haven’t yet signed up to receive emails in your inbox, I invite you to click here to join the mailing list. God bless you.