Focus on the Family

On August 21, at the age of eighty-nine, evangelical leader James Dobson passed away. He was the son, grandson, and great grandson of ministers but decided to break from tradition to become a psychologist. Renown for promoting Biblical values and helping countless families through his organization, "Focus on the Family," he was advisor to five United States presidents. For me, the most impactful story of his life comes from his relationship with his father and his two children.
 
James Dobson shared an account about his growing up years. As a pastor and leader of revival meetings, Dobson's father traveled long distances from home. His wife was mostly responsible for raising James. When he turned sixteen, he began to develop a fresh attitude toward her. One night, after having a hard conversation with James, and in his presence, she called her husband and said, "I need you." He canceled four years of revival meetings and came home to be with his wife and son. Here is what James said about his life after his dad came home: "And my dad, by making that sacrifice, invested in me. We hunted, we fished, he was with me. It pulled me back from the edge. I was an only child, so that time with my mother and dad was idyllic."
 
After attending the University of Southern California, James Dobson became a leading child psychologist. In 1977 he began his radio program, "Focus on the Family." With thirty-four Christian stations to oversee, his own family began to suffer. His dad saw this and wrote him a letter warning him that if he did not invest time in his two children, he would lose them. As a result of this advice from his dad, James cut back on the travel so that he could do for his children what his dad had done for him.
 
When asked by CBN Founder Pat Roberson about his passion to champion traditional families, James told him, "...Everything that we have believed about the family for thousands of years, literally, is being questioned now and being undermined. And there is a real danger that the family will disintegrate." He went on to say, "...The family is the ground floor. That's the foundation for the entire culture. Everything sits on that—our institutions, our government, our way of life, our values, our children—everything sits on that foundation."
 
More than anything else, Dobson made it clear that a family's first priority needs to be teaching their children to love the Lord. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deuteronomy 6:5-7) We would be wise to follow the advice of this extraordinary evangelical leader. If we desire to see our country prosper, we must put our focus on raising and honoring our families so that we place them in the heart of American life.