The cry of the family

Steve Lyston, Contributor

With the economy the way it stands globally, the family has been the institution that is being displaced and destroyed. While most leaders speak about large investments and economic recovery, very little has been done to help the family. Currently, the institution of family is in shambles. There cannot be economic growth and crime reduction within a nation when the family is literally being wiped out.

For the past seven years, there has been a major decline in several areas of our society - globally and locally - family, finance, jobs, as well as values and morality! Many more families are homeless, others suffering divorce. Many within various families have been compromising by giving sexual favours in order to keep their jobs. Prostitution is on the rise. Many more small businesses are being wiped out. Many are losing their estate and more persons are getting involved in crime.

If the family is the foundation of the society, and the first form of government that exists, then for every decision that is made within a nation the family must be the number one criteria for the decisions made. It is not fair to criticise even the members of our police force when their own families are in disarray. We come down on them to reduce crime, but their own families are suffering also.

We need more programmes to be created to help the family. For example, health programmes should be one of many developed to give family life a kick-start of sorts.

We need laws to protect and preserve the family, not to separate and destroy it. There should be more assistance for tuition and more skills-training centres in the community. Financial counselling should be a mandatory programme within communities, as well as job-loss counselling, debt management and general counselling.

We also need more low-income housing opportunities getting into the right hands. There needs to be a three-year tax break for persons to start new businesses.

There needs to be full-fledged nutrition programmes for the family; programmes to teach families how to access healthy food options and also how to manipulate what they have in hand to make healthier meals.

No country should be spending more on roads and security than they are spending to help and maintain a strong and healthy population. Without the families, there is no need for either government or roads and no one to secure.

When we begin to deal with the needs of the families, then things will begin to change; especially for those at the base. If the feet of the nation are not healthy, the head will be going nowhere!

Healing In the family

The whole purpose of creation was family. The whole purpose of a Saviour is to redeem the family. There has to be healing of the family before there can be healing of an economy.

If the Church, the political arena and the civic organisations, as well as international lenders do not have family-friendly policies and systems in place to better assist the family, then we will see more global catastrophes. Today, people don't have the time to spend with their families anymore as a result of the need for survival.

We can't even chose leaders to lead our society and different sectors unless there are strong family values.

There was once a time when a family could sit around the dining table and learn about each other and grow together. That's where intelligence gathering and counseling would take place; because the family is the first line of government.

We are now seeing policies being put in place, under the guise of investment, which are ultimately wiping out the day of worship. Spiritual development is part of family growth and not only has that been threatened, but totally disregarded! When we disregard that one day of rest and worship, then a greater problem is being created. We are tearing down the foundation of family.

The time has come, that if we want to see change globally and locally, the walls of the institution of family must be rebuilt. Systems must be put in place so that families can bond again. Many of the problems that exist today stem from the break down within the family institution. This includes persons who are placed in different leadership positions, who have come from broken families and have not been healed. As such, it spills over into the society and spreads.

Steve Lyston is a biblical economics consultant and author of several books, including 'End Time Finance' and 'The New Millionaire'.