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(continued from preceding page)
 The
fundamental concept of "home" is expressed in the
oft-neglected words of Jesus: "For this cause shall a man
leave father and mother..." He, and the woman, must
"leave" their former domestic units to form a new one.
This necessitates growing up, accepting responsibilities, being
no longer dependent upon dad and mother. Our age has encouraged
a "child forever" attitude, where each individual is
to "do his thing," freely flit about in pursuit of
individual satisfaction; and then, when things go wrong, run
home to mother (or her substitute, socialized government) to cry
about our "rights" being violated. "Johnny hit
me,” continues, as we blame others for what might never have
happened if we had matured.
But
it is also necessary that we "cleave" to our partner,
becoming one. This takes the maturing process much further. The
solitary individual of unmarried adulthood is superseded by one
who no longer thinks of himself alone, but of "us;"
not of "mine" but of "our" happiness and
well-being. A child, in process of preservation and establishing
identity, can't do this. Nor can a "child" of 20, 30,
or 50 years. That is why some "people say of marriage that
it is boring, when what they mean is that it terrifies them....
that it is deadening, when what they mean is that it drives us
beyond adolescent fantasies and romantic dreams." (Novak;
ibid.) Successful marriages, and homes, are for those capable of
"leaving" and "cleaving" in order to form a
new unit.
God's
word teaches the proper relation of husband and wife, of parent
and child, of
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youth and aged (Eph. 5: 22-f., Titus 2:1-f,
etc.). so when the church in its collective function upholds the
Bible it encourages God approved homes. But a lack of
understanding, or faith, in the spiritual and eternal goals of
the church has perverted its emphasis. Many congregations have
diverted their treasury and energy to social and domestic
activities, adopting "home" functions. This has not
improved the home, but offers a substitute for it. Homes do not
spring from local church programs. It is the other way around.
Firmly established and successful local churches are most likely
to come from homes that are firmly planted upon divine
principles. Lacking this, neither church nor nation can endure.
There
is nothing more realistic, no more honest facing of facts, than
an open recognition of the place of marriage and the home. The
so-called "liberated" individuals of our day close
their eyes to man's basic nature, civilized history, and cries
of pain from our current tortured society. There are none more
"intellectually dishonest" than those who follow their
child-like fantasies of self-indulgence. This is not
"enlightenment" but willful ignorance of the long
demonstrated facts of life.
The
home is not Utopia, nor is it "found," floating on
dream clouds. A good home is earned, with labor and
self-sacrifice. In the process we learn that the striving is
also beautiful; that giving is the truest form of getting. And
in a good home, attained, we find more romance than we ever
dreamed possible.
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