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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: My husband and I are struggling with the question of leaving our children in the hands of after-school programs as we pursue our careers that allow us to provide for them. We look around and see the instability of families these days and wonder if we should consider another kind of stability – for our children to have a parent at home. But our struggle, and one that’s putting tension on our marriage, is which one of us should stay home! – P.C.

A: There are more pressures on the home than perhaps at any time in history. More mothers are working outside the home than ever before. Many feel guilty about leaving their children in the care of others or having them return to an empty home while they are at work. Many women (whether divorced or widowed) must work to support themselves and their children, a phenomenon which is becoming more and more common in the age in which we live.

But many couples devote more time to their working life than they do to their family life. Is it any wonder, then, that so many marriages are in trouble? To paraphrase the Bible, what shall it profit a man or woman who gains the whole world but loses his or her own family? What achievement in life is equal to a stable home life? Every material goal, even if it is met, will pass away. But the heritage of children is timeless.

Someone has said that our children are our messages to the future. Our children have been entrusted to us by God. Parent’s primary responsibility is not to make sure their children have the best clothes and live in the best houses, but rather to make sure they grow up in homes where God is present and the love of Christ reigns so that they will come to know God through His Son. What could be more valuable than a happy home?

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2024 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2024 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.