The believing home is a hothouse for growth, a lighthouse of truth, and a storehouse of blessings.
You’ve probably heard, “It takes a steady hand to hold a full cup.” Job’s cup was certainly full. “And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:2-3). You get the picture. Yet acquiring these riches had not impoverished Job’s soul, as it sometimes does. He had a deep concern for his family, and not just in outward appearance. His family altar was not allowed to grow cold, “and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, ‘It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.’ Thus Job did regularly” (v 5). What marks of mature leadership! See his punctuality, to “rise early”; his spirituality, to “offer burnt offerings”; his inclusivity, “according to…them all”—no favorites as in Isaac’s and Jacob’s clans; his honesty, aware that his children were sinners; and his consistency, “Thus Job did regularly.” But, as we well know, that isn’t the end of the story—although the end is remarkably similar! I recall a mother pointing out her youngest son across a crowded auditorium. “That one taught me to be gracious with other families,” she said. Then she explained that her first five children had gone on well from the start. She observed other struggling families and wondered what was their problem. Then this boy came along, showing her the need for grace in her own family, and teaching her to be gracious with others. If our families turn out well, it’s all the grace of God. And if they struggle, what’s the solution? Why, it’s God’s grace for that too, isn’t it!