A soldier came through my office for redeployment counseling today (as all soldiers must when they redeploy to the States).
Both of his teenage sons are mildly autistic and violent and have been violent toward his wife. They have both been involuntarily committed to a mental care facility (or they would face imprisonment). His pre-teen daughter is about to have back surgery of the same sort that her young adult sister had a few years back. It is a fair assessment to say that the family is currently mired in chaos.
Such is the state of this broken world that the homefront can often be more chaotic than the warfront. I prayed with this soldier, that the God who alone can bring order to a broken world and broken lives would do so with this family. Blessed are the peacemakers. This soldier will be such a man in this case, but his hope lies ultimately with Jesus Christ, who reconciled sinners to God by His own blood.
A home is an outpost of sorts in the believer's pilgrim journey to his heavenly home. Yet, in the savagery of sin in this world, the home can often become a place of great harm. In such cases, the need and hope of heavenly glory merely becomes more pronounced.
"Though parents may betray, the Lord will take me in." (Ps. 27)
