Change is a word that is cloaked in purpose, broadcasted for gain, and claimed by good and evil, right and wrong, bond and free to be the solution to every source of human discontent. While the message of change has frequently been successful in bringing different faces and approaches to problems it has rarely, once initiated, proven to bear out the grand promises and claims that have led to its ascension. While many have advertised the benefits of the simple term, many of the changes made in recent years have not proven to be in the best interest of families.

Change in Itself
We have all heard the message of change in the past, and when dissatisfaction with existing conditions prevails, there is a tendency to give heed to its call. Unfortunately in the wake of the magnificent call of change, there frequently comes the reality of broken promises, and disturbing hidden agendas. The landscape is perpetually changing. The leaves, colors, smells and sounds vary, but among them are the rocks and roots that are grounded and constant. These firm structures are the anchors of our lives – the beliefs and value systems that we cling to when everything around us is mired in uncertainty.

Not Every Change is Good
Not every change is a change for the better. Although at times it may seem that any change is better than a current condition, it is crucial to see past the disorienting cover of fallen leaves to the values that remain as our guides. Sadly, however, even the rocks and roots are subject to change when given enough time. Trees fall, and rocks are crushed or displaced from where they stand. So too are the values of mankind in the acceptance of lower standards that gradually eat away at family strength and unity over time.

Changes vs. Constants
The world has undergone innumerable changes throughout its history, and it will continue to do so, but there are also constants like the air we breathe and the water we drink that have the capacity to be everywhere, and which are always needed by every creature for sustenance and equilibrium. We cannot deny these enduring and essential elements for very long, without facing dangerous and destructive effects.

Rapid and Gradual Changes
We, as families and individuals must choose the qualities of our values whether they will be easily subjected to degradation, as with leaves; susceptible to slow manipulation, as with roots, or everlasting in that which we know is truly representative of our hearts. The world has demonstrated that each of these types of changes exists, and that we are currently facing the culmination of many of their effects. Rapid changes have seized our attention with the decline of the economy, sudden taxing demands of war, and political bickering that has paralyzed Washington. We have also found ourselves at the mercy and convergence of slow changes that have gradually altered our surroundings so subtly that we scarcely notice any difference. Over time and generations the gradual disintegration of morality, a cheapened sense of value for marriage, and weakened family relationships due to a decreased investment of time together has repainted the landscape in a fashion that scarcely resembles the values that existed among the founders of America’s mighty union.

Distractions at Home
The values of the world have changed with computers, mobile phones, personal music players, and video game consoles. The changes our world has embraced have wrapped around the individual so completely that even when every member of a family is at home, the potential for interaction with one another is minimal. Distractions from family time that have infiltrated homes are many in addition to external forces like the economy, the common necessity of two-parent employment, peer pressure, and the everyday challenges of simply navigating modern life. People are busy in ways that are not conducive to family time. Change in the world has in many ways, not been beneficial to families.

Embracing Family Values
While the mindset of the world seems to be acceptance the many changes that have set their sites on families, it may be advisable to take note of the surroundings – the changing colors, the fallen leaves, and the eroding paths that we have found ourselves upon. It may be time to take note of the fallen trees and the rocks that have been crushed in the transition of getting to where we stand now. With all that currently exists to challenge families, it may be necessary to return to the everlasting values embraced by our hearts…the values that turn from distractions to make time as families a priority, not events of happenstance. The changes embraced by our world are those that come and go, with fleeting rewards and few enduring benefits.

Defending our Families
There is nothing wrong with distractions and pleasures in moderation, but when such activities take over our lives and deprive us of family time, we give in to the changes that turn families into strangers. Not every change is a change for the better; in fact, many of the changes that seem the most attractive are the very changes for which we should guard ourselves and our families the most. Unless we are able to recognize the changes that are happening around us, we will never be able to effectively defend our families from them.

Dedicating our Time to our Families
The greatest asset of our world lies in the strength of its families. Change, no matter how attractive it may seem, should never be given the power to divide and weaken our families. It is time to recognize change for what it has been, for what it is now, and for what we want it to be in the future. We must recognize the need to reduce the time we devote to distractions, and rather to dedicate more of our time to being involved with our families. As years pass by and the world continues to change, it will not be the high scores on video games that we treasure; it will be the time we have spent with our families. If we can learn one thing from change, let it be that no matter what the landscape becomes outside of our homes, we will always have the everlasting power to strengthen our families while being a part of them, not apart from them.

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