Last weekend I spent some time with a friend who, I'm sad to say, would be moving soon. I have always known him as a generous, and a good-natured man. He's one of those guys who makes it hard to be in a bad mood. His closeness with his wife and their happiness together has always been apparent, and I have often noticed and admired his devotion to his only child, whose life now is a beautiful testament to her upbringing. As we talked last weekend, he gave me some insight into his own upbringing that amazed me, given the man that I know him to be. I had supposed that his father must have been a model family man, an example of stability and integrity. But, I was surprised to hear that his father had actually run out on his family. His children did not even know him.
As I processed all of this, it amazed me that my friend had made a conscious decision, sometime before I knew him, to change the course of his family. He, who grew up without any example in his home, went on to become a great father. Gentlemen, we are not doomed to become whatever blemishes may have marred our families' histories. As we establish our homes, we have the example and the principles of God Himself to set as the fence posts that guard our homes and families.