Speaking at a banquet for married couples at St. Joseph’s Chosen Church, Ughelli.
Text: Genesis 6:9-13; Genesis 21:8-21
The first passage gives an account of Noah’s family and the flood.
Noah’s family was a unique family because Noah had a special and personal relationship with Jehovah. He was separated from his neighborhood mentality even though he lived amongst them.
A unique family identifies the peculiarity of each individual, and respects and develops the advantages, while ameliorating their deficiencies within their family.
A unique family identifies a purpose and pursues it.
A unique family develops a philosophy and principles to marriage, business, and life in general, based on the Word of God and the purpose they have identified. A unique family adopts the Dr. Apoki-pepper-soup philosophy.
Each marriage and family has its peculiar problems and challenges that they must adjust to and accommodate on a daily basis. It is not a bed of roses.
Building a unique family and marriage requires a lot of patience, which in turn requires endurance and diplomacy.
A unique family should have a product or service they render to society for which they are uniquely known.
A unique family is forged in the furnace of prayers.
Perseverance in the midst of challenges is the strength of a unique family.
These are the 10 P’s that will keep your family in the good books of posterity. A unique family is not necessarily about pounds, pennies, or properties. Without the first 10 P’s the last 3 P’s are not secure.
P11 is that a unique family must have a protective mindset. One of them fights for all of them and all of them fight to protect one of them. They protect their identity. They have what they have become known for. They have a brand and have become a brand—which was generated from pursuing a purpose—and they jealously guard this identity. The Rothschild at one time refused to marry outside their clan. Such families are very selective of who they bring into their inner circle. They protect the interests of the family and jealousy guard their secrets. They have a way of managing information that they give to the public. Most dysfunctional families wash their dirty linen in public.
They also protect some core principles of the founding patriarch and matriarch. There are modifications, occasionally, but the core framework is retained and passed on from generation to generation as can be seen from Wal-Mart, Pick n Pay, the Dantata dynasty in Nigeria, etc. Finally, they protect the legacy that has been built over time.
It must be emphasized that the 12th P, planning, makes this possible, and it runs right from the start of the marriage. Planning even before marriage, planning for the marriage and having a culture of planning together is the strength of any unique family. Life is too complex to leave to chance. I am living the life I planned to live in my early twenties. Everyday brings its own challenges, but as we plan, new ideas and strategies come into play and we have always moved on to new heights by His grace. The only time we were not in agreement, the devil crept in and we are yet to recover from it.
It is true that the family that prays together stays together, but it does not prepare them for the future. The family of the future planned for the future “yesterday”.
May God help you to build a unique family that will stand out in your generation and beyond in Jesus name.
Remember that you are uniquely unique, peculiarly peculiar, and particularly particular.
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