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ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE FAMILY
A Christian family is God’s unit for building his kingdom. Over the last century, we are constantly in argument about who is to submit to whom, between the husband and the wife. Especially in India, from the Patriarchal joint family, the pendulum has swung the other way when we have separate bank accounts for husbands and wives and children and independent credit card accounts. We have separate email accounts and mobile telephones for each member of the family.
The Bible does not talk of email accounts or mobile phones. But when a husband and wife come together in marriage, they make a covenant before God to be interdependent and transparent with each other. We commit to share everything of ours with our spouse. If I am not able to share every email or sms that I send out or receive or every mobile call I make or receive, then it signifies lack of accountability.
When as parents we are accountable to each other, our children feel being accountable is normal and good. I know of many families where the head of the family would leave home and the rest of the family would not even know where he is going! Our children should feel comfortable telling us where they are and what they are up to.
One important responsibility that we carry as Christian husbands and wives is to protect and preserve the families God has given us. We are accountable for the lives of our children. We have a commitment to lead them to the Lord by word and example.
There is this poignant story of an old man Sam whose wife is in a home for the aged. She has Alzheimer’s and every day Sam would visit her in the morning, sit by her bedside, read his book beside her and help with the bed linen and just be there. One day the head nurse asked Sam why he did that day after day when he knew his wife could not even recognize him as her husband. His reply was, “Well, she is my wife, isn’t she? I still can recognize her!!” That is the level of accountability we commit to, with our spouses, when we take our vows at the marriage altar.
Thought for the day: It’s only through submission to one another within the family that we can stay together.
Pray: Loving Lord, help me let go of my ego as I submit to members of my family in a loving relationship. As a family, bind us with your love, that we may grow stronger in you and be useful for your purposes. Amen.
A Christian family is God’s unit for building his kingdom. Over the last century, we are constantly in argument about who is to submit to whom, between the husband and the wife. Especially in India, from the Patriarchal joint family, the pendulum has swung the other way when we have separate bank accounts for husbands and wives and children and independent credit card accounts. We have separate email accounts and mobile telephones for each member of the family.
The Bible does not talk of email accounts or mobile phones. But when a husband and wife come together in marriage, they make a covenant before God to be interdependent and transparent with each other. We commit to share everything of ours with our spouse. If I am not able to share every email or sms that I send out or receive or every mobile call I make or receive, then it signifies lack of accountability.
When as parents we are accountable to each other, our children feel being accountable is normal and good. I know of many families where the head of the family would leave home and the rest of the family would not even know where he is going! Our children should feel comfortable telling us where they are and what they are up to.
One important responsibility that we carry as Christian husbands and wives is to protect and preserve the families God has given us. We are accountable for the lives of our children. We have a commitment to lead them to the Lord by word and example.
There is this poignant story of an old man Sam whose wife is in a home for the aged. She has Alzheimer’s and every day Sam would visit her in the morning, sit by her bedside, read his book beside her and help with the bed linen and just be there. One day the head nurse asked Sam why he did that day after day when he knew his wife could not even recognize him as her husband. His reply was, “Well, she is my wife, isn’t she? I still can recognize her!!” That is the level of accountability we commit to, with our spouses, when we take our vows at the marriage altar.
Thought for the day: It’s only through submission to one another within the family that we can stay together.
Pray: Loving Lord, help me let go of my ego as I submit to members of my family in a loving relationship. As a family, bind us with your love, that we may grow stronger in you and be useful for your purposes. Amen.
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As human beings in general and as Christians in particular, we are accountable at various levels, to God, our families, our friends, our bosses and our teams at our places of work. Human nature in itself does not relish accountability. Accountability to God is the fundamental thing that is the enabler for all other levels of accountability.
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