During a packed and joyful Easter Sunday service, I found myself wishing that it wasn’t so easy to let regular life get in the way of the New Life that many are so conscious of – and conscientious about – during holidays.
Most people believe in God. Addiction recovery programs such as AA have found that they don’t work without relying on someone greater than yourself.
Numerous studies have found that every member of a family is more healthy, has more friendships and a more positive outlook on life with more regular spiritual practice. And within a family, a collective spiritual life is very influential.
For example, a study sociology professor Sung Joon Jang found that children whose parents were more religious in practice were less likely to use drugs later on.
If belief was just a collective delusion, studies would have found no difference from children whose parents said, “Just Say No” a lot.
But it makes perfect sense if there really is a God who loves us enough to show us the path of life – and will help us stay on it, if we’ll listen.
Today, a growing minority – about one-third of adults according to the Barna Group – have begun to detach their beliefs from a regular spiritual practice. And some parents now assert that you can teach moral principles without religious belief.
But where do moral principles come from if not from absolute truth? And where does absolute truth come from if not from the Creator of that truth?
Rebecca Hagelin’s new book, “30 Ways in 30 Days to Save Your Family,” demonstrates how simple establishing a collective spiritual foundation can be – and how important.
As she says, “When everything is negotiable, then nothing is dependable.”
Two thousand years ago, Jesus told a parable very relevant to today: That someone who hears his words and “does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand,” and cannot withstand the storms of life.
But, Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” – when the storms come, the house stands firm.
Shaunti Feldhahn (scfeldhahn@yahoo.com) is a conservative Christian author and speaker, and married mother of two.