The Family Institution

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)" Ephesians 6:1-2

The other day I heard a commercial that was very disturbing. It wasn't the message that it was bringing for the actual message was a very good one. It was one that we have all heard many, many times regarding putting out our fires when we're finished with them when out in the woods. We all remember Smokey the Bear saying, "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!" Yes, that's a good thing and a very good message, so that wasn't the problem. The problem was who was playing what part. To sum it up, the father and son were leaving a site where they had a camp fire and the father was the one that was playing the role of the careless one, while the son was the one with the wits and the common sense, giving instruction to the dad. This leaves a subliminal message that I believe is no accident. I have heard other commercials like this where the mother is played as the consoling one, the child is the one with the answers, and the father is the stumblebum who just doesn't get it right and needs the child to help him. Not saying that everyone that writes commercials like this has some conspiracy in mind as many are probably just following a trend. I challenge you, listen for this pattern as you'll surely hear it.

The above pattern, where the dad is the goof ball, the mon is the calm collected one, and the child is the wiz kid destroys the family institution in which God has ordained. While men do not always make the right decisions, they should still have the final authority in the home. While the wife does not always see things right, she is the keeper of the home, and the children are to obey the parents as mentioned above. When Benjamin Spock was asked by my college Humanities teacher in 1970 where he got all of his information, he replied that he learned from the children. What an answer from a man who was supposed to be able to tell people how to raise kids!

It is apparent that when the family system breaks down in a society, the society soon falls. This is what Satan is wanting to see done and is doing everything he can to achieve it. He will use every means possible to accomplish his goal. Don't get caught in the trap.