SHAPING YOUR FAMILY’S FUTURE Managing Director The idea that God is in his heaven watching life down


here on earth is one of the most common views of God. Some might find tremendous comfort in the belief that God is up there controlling all things. But for others, this kind of remote type of God inspires little emotion or reaction. Phillips points out that we think about our human ability to multi-task and wonder how the God who is running things could possibly have time to notice each one of us.


Faith and Your Family Spiritual seeking and spiritual practices reflect the deepest self. That’s why faith can be


a flash point in relationships. For many people raised in religious families, rejecting the family religion can be a rite of passage. An adult child who is more religious than his


or


her parents may have a difficult time relating to them. Over time this may create some emotional distance between parents and their adult children. Even subtle shifts away from the belief system of the family can create tension in the family dynamic. When the next generation comes along—in the form of a new child—these differences often increase. New parents who are religious may not want their child to spend much time with grandparents who are not. If new parents approach religion more casually, the child’s arrival might bring righteously charged pressure from more devout grandparents. Couples without children may deal with any religious differences that exist between them relatively easily. Once they become parents, and start making decisions about the faith they want to nurture in their child, tensions can easily bubble to the surface.


Spiritual


seeking and spiritual practices


reflect the deepest self. That’s why faith can be a flash point in relationships.


1 • THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS (AND MOTHERS)


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