Family woes

Each Thursday the IR arrives in the mail, and I typically go right to “On the Record” and the Obituaries to confirm I’m not mentioned in either. Lately, however, I’ve been focusing on the Record, aka the Police/Sheriff/Court blotter. I’m seeing a lot of family issues there, far too many for such a small community.

And yet this trend now affects communities all across America. It includes domestic abuse, rebellious teens, drug use, alcohol abuse, and recently our little town had the threat of a teen brawl over drug paraphernalia. That’s a pretty full plate of problems for a small community to chew and swallow.

We’re all well aware that the family, as an institution, has been under attack for several generations. I’m old enough to remember TV shows like “Father Knows Best” in the black & white days; now it’s “The Old Man’s An Idiot” in full HD color. But it’s not just dads we’ve attacked. Motherhood is now a curse, kids brag about their emotional health issues, and divorce seems almost a mandatory life experience to help build one’s character. These issues have erupted in homes, churches, schools, and elsewhere, and it seems every possible family-based problem is now on steroids. I could speculate on the spiritual realities behind this attack, but might run the risk of being moved to the Church Page. And who reads that?

Families can fight back, however. And today would be a good time to start. I believe small communities such as Thermopolis are best equipped to lead the fight (remember, the American Revolution began in Lexington and Concord, not in nearby Boston). And I believe this fight has already begun, as we ponder recent school board elections throughout America. But it didn’t start there; no, it had to first begin in the homes and churches of this nation.

We live in interesting times. If you are a Bible reader, you might take a peek at 2 Timothy 3:1-5. I’ll give you a brief summary: selfishness, godlessness, and the decay of the family unit. While those verses certainly can describe the world we live in today, things don’t have to be that way in our own lifetimes. Let’s save all that for another generation. Go home today, love your spouse, and hug your kids. Then be prepared to fight for them.

Bo Bowman

He says he lives in Worland, where he pastors a tiny church - and works a day job in Thermopolis to support his pastorin’ habit.