Be a role player

In any sport, the teams that succeed are the ones where everyone knows their role and fulfills it to the best of their ability. In my high school years, my focus in sports was basketball, and since I lived in rural Iowa which had no professional sports I had my choice as to whom I would root for. The only sport that I cared to watch at that time was professional basketball, and that being the 90's era, there can be little doubt as to who I cheered for - that's right, the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, and yes, I jumped off that band wagon long ago. The reason I mention this, is for all of Michael Jordan's greatness, the Bulls were never much of a threat for the title until they had all the right players filling all the right roles. In the family arena, God has set out the roles for each "player' and the responsibility of those roles. What happens on a team when one player decides he doesn't like his role, or that he prefers another role? Confusion and chaos rule. I know for a fact that there were players on those Bulls teams who were not happy with their role; yet they succeeded anyway. How? They learned to sacrifice their pride and wills and understand the bigger goal. Let's look then at our modern society and especially our young people. What is it that you might say seems an apt word to describe them? How about confused? Father's have stopped leading, mother's have ceased nurturing, and the children wander the streets trying to find out what's what on their own. Our daughter's have lost all self-respect and sold themselves cheap in the name of liberty. Our sons lash out and get in trouble trying to prove themselves men, or worse, give up trying to be men and go the other direction. So how to solve the problem? Simple - men, get off the couch, turn off the t.v., stop working needless overtime, go home and lead your families. Stop taking your parenting advice from Oprah, Dr. Phil, or anybody else in Hollywood who claims to be an expert, pick up your Bible, read, and then lead. Yes, it falls on the man to take the responsibility. Why? God said so. Sound too simple? It is simple, but don't mistake simple for easy. Is it worth it? Well, what's the alternative? God said in Malachi
4:6, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Notice who will turn first; it is not the children's responsibility to lead, not even the mother's, but the father's. Will we act before it's too late. Can we not see already in our society the effects of this curse amid the chaos of broken homes and damaged lives? God is looking for men to stand in the gap. Will you?
C. Lee Carr