“I can help you forget your problems. Look at you! I’ve never seen such a depressed ant in all my life. This pill will take the sting out of your hurts. You’ll be yourself in a couple hours.”  Sure enough, his problems faded like the smoke of a fire at night.

He skipped home only to find his family angry that he’d left his load of food by the side of the road. Things got worse as he relied on his new friend to help him with his problems. One day his friend said, “I have something that will cause you to grow wings. You’ll have more power than all the ants in your family. You’ll see the world from a perspective no other ant has ever experienced!” A little prick brought a strange sensation as wings grew large and strong. He flew high over the trees into the rugged Andes Mountains. Now he was as important as the condor of the Andes!

Suddenly his wings began to shrivel. He crashed to the ground. Where was he? Where was his family? Could he get another injection so he could fly again? Frantic, he yelled for help – no one heard. As his wounds healed, he was able to find his way home. He was now far behind in his classes. He had let his family down. Where was his friend?

Addictions create a false world where reality can no longer be reacted to in the real world. Do you have children or a spouse that is living in a false world where solutions are only found when they escape reality? How do we deal with them? Are they a danger to the rest of our family? Is it your fault they are as they are? Be so active in the lives of your children that you stop the downward slide before momentum makes it to hard to stop. It is always better to bravely face hard reality than the pleasure of escape. God promises strength through the hard times.

None of us are perfect as individuals – nor are our marriages perfect.  As we work together to maintain our love and a strong marriage, our homes will be a good environment for growing and happy children.