THE FAMILY UNDER STRESS

Today the family is changing-sad to say, not for the better. (Boy you got that right!) An example is seen in India, where a wife may live with the family of her husband and work in the home under the direction of her in-laws.  Nowadays, though, it is not uncommon for Indian wives to seek employment outside the home.  Yet they are apparently still expected to fulfill their traditional roles in the home.  (That is the way it is suppose to be, this world has gotten way too modernized and over done on the women's rights thing,we are not men,we should be feminine and act as such, this is what God expects of us women)   The question raised in many lands is, compared with other members of the family, how much  work should a woman with an outside job be expected to do in the home? 

(All of it.  I did, I worked because I had to;  came home took care of the kids and the house, cooked,  and did not complain.) That is what's wrong with this world now. Satan has got women thinking that they can do what men do and they can have everything. I guarantee you, you can't, because something or someone will suffer or get  neglected.) 

In Oriental societies, strong extended-family ties are traditional.  However, under the influence of Western-style individualism and the stress of economic problems, the traditional extended family is weakening.  Many, therefore, view care of aged family members as a burden rather than as a duty or a privilege.  Some elderly parents are abused. Indeed,  abused and neglect of the aged are found in many countries today. 

Divorce is becoming increasingly common. In Spain the divorce rate rose to 1 out of 8 marriages by the beginning of  the final decade of the 20th century-a big jump from 1 out of 100 just 25 years before.  Britain, with reportedly the highest divorce rate in Europe (4 out of 10 marriages are expected to fail), has seen a surge in the number of single-parent families.  (note: People do not bother to work out anything in marriage, they give up too easy. It takes work,  100 percent from each spouse. Nothing is easy or is meant to be. Unless one of the spouses has been cheating on the other or is being physically abused very badly, there is no other excuse for divorce.  The main excuse for a divorce is fornication. People just give up too easily. ) 

Many in Germany seem to be abandoning the traditional family altogether. the 1990's  saw 35% made up of just two individuals. The French too are marrying less often, and those who do marry divorce more often and earlier than used to be the case.  Growing  numbers prefer to live together without responsibilities of marriage. (Well, in God's eyes, people, living together and sleeping around are all no-no's)  Comparable trends are seen worldwide.

What of children? (people are too selfish to think of them. It is all about their own wishes and needs) In the United States and many other lands, more and more are born out of wedlock, (also a no-no) some to young teenagers.  Many teenage girls have  a number of children from different fathers. Reports from around the world tell of millions of homeless children roaming the streets; many are escaping from abusive homes or are cast out by families that can no longer support them.

Yes, the family is in crisis. In addition to what has already been mentioned, teenage rebellion, child abuse, spousal violence, alcoholism, and other devastating problems rob many families of happiness.  For a great number of children and adults, the family is far from being a haven.  

Why the family crisis?  Some blame the present-day family crisis on the entry of women into the workplace. (when a woman wants a career instead of a job, that is wrong, women should only work if they have no other choice. Careers are for the men, they are the ones that are suppose to financially support the family) Others point to today's moral breakdown. And additional causes  are cited. ( the main blame is Satan-he runs the government, so therefore the breakdown is obvious and will not change in this world) Almost two thousand years ago, a well-known lawyer foretold that many pressures would afflict the family, when he wrote: "In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God." (2 timothy 3:1-4)  Who would doubt  that these words are being fulfilled today? In a world with conditions such as these, is it any wonder that many families are in crisis?   

Next time: THE SECRET OF FAMILY HAPPINESS

From the book; THE SECRET OF FAMILY HAPPINESS; 1996