by Tom Wacaster
We were returning from Oklahoma City and outside Purcell we passed
a house with a sign out front which read, "Home For Sale." Most of us
recognize the connotation which goes with the words "house" and
"home." The house is the dwelling place. It is the brick and
mortar, the land, the roof, etc. The house is the material structure in
which the home is built. But the home is the family. It is built (or
should be built) upon the foundation of moral principles and fidelity on the
part of each of the family members In light of this, it seems to me that one
could sell a house, but it would be rather difficult to sell a home. Or would
it? I wonder how many of the homes in our society are being sold every
day. While the economic pressures have slowed down the real estate business,
many of the ills of society have only stepped up the sale of the
"homes." Here is what I mean.
A house is sold when the family is dissolved. Each decides they
are going to take what belongs to them and go their separate ways. No matter
what this might to do the psychological stability of the children (if there are
children), the two consenting adults have decided that they want to sell the
home. Consequently our divorce rate is running somewhere close to 50% of the
marriages performed. When this happens, the "home is sold."
And then, some are selling their homes due to the spiritual
bankruptcy they are experiencing. They have sown to the wind and now they must
reap the whirlwind. Because of the lack of spiritual values within the home,
the family will soon be putting their "home" on the market. If we
would avoid the disruption of the family we must instill within our children
those basic principles which God intended to guide the family; namely
permanence of marriage, respect for parents, love for the children, etc.
And finally, some are selling their homes to social pressures
placed upon them. The home becomes nothing more than a pit stop for refueling
and checking the oil. Seldom do the parents see the children, and vice versa.
We run all the time, seeking to find some sort of fulfillment in our lives. Is
it any wonder that our children do the same?
Going, going, GONE! The "home" has been sold simply because
of the neglect of each member to recognize the needs of the others. The home is
sold on the auction block of pleasures and pressures. Take time with your
family! You can sell a house, take the money, and buy another. When a
"house" is destroyed it can be replaced. But when a "home"
is sold, it is gone forever. When we neglect those guidelines given us in God's
Word we are well on the way to placing a sign in front of our house which
reads, "Home For Sale.”