The Strength of Families
I slept last night. I mean I really slept, soundly and the whole night through. Truth be told I sleep every night, but last night was the way sleep ought to be. The reason for this deep and peaceful rest is certain. My family was all home for the Christmas holiday and all back under my roof once again. My son and his wife and my granddaughter came in from California and were nestled into the room he grew up in. My middle daughter and her husband were home from Grand Rapids and tucked into the room she grew up in. My youngest was home from MSU and snuggled in her own room. My family was home and together again, the way it was meant to be. To me, this is pure joy.
As we enjoy this Christmas season together, I am reminded that perhaps the greatest leadership responsibility any of us have is to lead our families well. Many of us have daunting leadership responsibilities at work, in our schools and universities, in our churches and in our communities. Those are important and the usual focus of our best leadership efforts. We need to continually cast the vison of our desired and better state of being. We need to equip, train, motivate and inspire our teams to overcome great obstacles and to achieve our mission’s objectives. As important as those are, it is times like this when we can pause and remember what is really most important to us, our family, our friends and our faith. Leading our families well is without question one of the most critical leadership responsibilities any of us can have.
When we pause and look critically at all of the elements of our society that we should be most concerned of today, it is the stress and pressures being applied to the nuclear family unit that should concern us the most. We spend a lot of effort and time on societal issues such as job creation, economic health and income disparities. We are rightly concerned with issues of our environment, the cost of higher education, the cost of energy and the state of the infrastructure of our roads and bridges. These are indeed important issues that strong leadership is required to appropriately address and obtain the highest level of prosperity for the most of our citizens. They all pale however, to the need to nurture and grow strong families.
There is not a shred of evidence that people and citizens prosper better when they come from broken or dysfunctional homes, yet it seems like precious little attention is applied to this issue as compared to the others mentioned above. That is backward and misplaced. For our society to function well, for our business to prosper, our economy to prosper and for our nation to be strong, we need our citizens to be men and women of valor, strength and honor. These qualities grow best when nurtured in strong families, lead as if that is the greatest responsibility placed on the shoulders of the fathers and mothers responsible for the family. Our nation will be strengthened as our families are strengthened, and it will be weakened as our families are weakened.
I hope that all of you enjoy a blessed Christmas season. As you have the opportunity to spend it with family and your loved ones count it all joy, and may you lead them with your very best.
Stay Strong,
Terry
