A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor’s office. After his checkup, the doctor called the wife into his office alone. He said, “Your husband is suffering from a very severe disease, combined with horrible stress. If you don’t do the following, your husband will surely die.” “Each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast, be pleasant and make sure he is in a good mood. For lunch, make him a nutritious meal. For dinner, prepare an especially nice meal. Do not burden him with chores, as he probably had a hard day. Do not discuss your problems with him, it will only make his stress worse. In addition and most importantly, shower him with a lot of love and affection daily. If you can do this for the next ten months to a year, I think your husband will regain his health completely.” On the way home, in a weak voice the husband asked his wife, “Dear, what did the doctor say?” “You’re going to die.” She replied.
The previous caricature is funny. However, it is also sad. It is sad to think that a wife would have so little regard for her husband. Of course, the same charge applies to the husband who has little regard for his wife. The present times trouble the righteous soul. Children grow to adulthood observing selfishness and lack of commitment. Therefore, each generation gets further and further away from godly homes.
Homes across our great land are in trouble. It is not just the homes of the worldly. The homes of Christians are in trouble as well. The family sitting in the pew behind you could be in trouble. It could be the family next to you. It could even be your home!
The fact that Christians have troubled homes is not the problem. A reality check will reveal that Christians are human and as such, are prone to weakness. Additionally, homes consist of more than one personality and you have the ingredients for trouble in the home.
It is becoming increasingly common for Christians to give up on having a godly home. Some even gives up to the point of destroying the home through divorce. Why is there no solution to this devastating problem?
There is good news and bad news. The good news is, ‘YES,’ there is an answer to the problem. The Bible teaches us how to have good, solid homes. It instructs us in the ways that will ensure a home complete with peace and harmony. Following the instructions creates a home where all members are happy and well adjusted. It creates a home where the family is clothed with spiritual armor. The Spiritual armor necessary for doing battle with the forces of evil. Then why are there so many Christians homes that are unhappy? That is the bad news.
Too many Christians are like the wife in our introduction to this article. They are not willing to do what is necessary to make the sick home well. Whether it is selfishness or justplain laziness, the things that ensure success in the home never materialize.
The method for having a godly home is not a mystery. There are many passages in the New Testament that deal with the subject. (See Ephesians 5:22-28) A selfish wife who constantly wants her way, or a demanding husband who never considers his wife’s needs, is a disaster waiting to happen. A self-indulgent husband who surrounds himself with his “toys”, or a domineering wife who seeks to control every aspect of the relationship will bring a home to ruin.
— Glen Young