Never has the family unit been more at risk than it is today. When the family is weakened in any way, all of society is diminished.

Our particular family is a mini-United Nations. Andy's family is basically Irish and German; mine are Norwegian, Dutch, German and English. Our oldest two children, Drew and Tory, are Heinz 57 variety. J. P. is one hundred per cent Korean. Tyler is biracial and has an African-American and, I think, English heritage. Our three newest additions, Alysa, Zoya and Sophia are Ukrainian.

I pray with my children each night before they go to sleep and ask God to give them vision for who they are in Him. I pray that their identity will not come from their origin of birth or from Andy and me but from their spiritual heritage in the Lord.

Psalm 139:15-16 says, "My frame was not hidden from You, /When I was made in secret, /And Skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. /Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. /And in Your book they all were written, /The days fashioned for me, /When as yet there were none of them."

The way we are conceived, the way we're made, the families we belong to - none of this is accidental. God always knew it would be that way.

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is of Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah was a man of prayer, and he didn't do anything without talking to God about it. He knew that God is always present, and Nehemiah prayed even while talking to others or taking part in other activities. As individuals and as families we must always ask the Lord for vision and direction before doing anything. James 4:2 says, "You do not have because you do not ask." Through prayer God guides us.

Unity is so important in a family, whether it's our own family or the family of God. We need to be a team where all the players are important. Nehemiah knew that. The wall around Jerusalem had been destroyed for more than a hundred years. It was so daunting a task that no one before Nehemiah had even attempted to rebuild it. Nehemiah knew it would take the effort of all the citizens of Jerusalem to rebuild that wall. It is likewise true that for our families and the church to live in harmony and be effective, all members need to do their part.

Before one stone was moved on that wall around Jerusalem, the enemy began ridiculing and threatening the people. But the work began. Bit by bit, stone by stone, family by family, that wall began to go up.

Every family was responsible for the part of the wall behind their respective house. As that wall went up, the enemies got angrier. They plotted to lead an army against the city. The people of the city were afraid. They also were tired, for they worked hard. What did Nehemiah do? "We made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night" (Nehemiah 4:9).

First, he prayed; second, he acted. The people developed a plan to protect themselves. Half the men worked while the other half stood guard behind them. They worked from sunrise to sunset and carried their weapons with them at all times. As leaders in our families, we learn a great lesson from Nehemiah. Prayer and action go hand in hand.

Even as those families were responsible for their part of the wall, so we are responsible for raising up a godly standard in our own homes. There are many ways of doing that -- having devotions, praying for and with one another, giving blessings, recounting God's goodness.

We have worked hard at establishing traditions of togetherness with our children. I lay hands on each one and give them a blessing before they leave for school in the morning. We cook together and have family night as often as possible. We pray games together, read together, and pray for one another's needs.

As often as possible, I verbalize how important and special they are to me. Every night I pray with each child as he or she snuggles into bed. When J. P. was very small I used to say fairly regularly, "Lord, thank You for J.P. He is such a treasure to me." One night, I was tired and shortened my prayer. I felt a tug on my sleeve. "You forgot something, Mama." Those serious little eyes stared piercingly into my own. "I'm your treasure, right?" I held him tightly. "Oh, J. P., you are my treasure. We are family. Never forget it!"

And so it is for us, dear ones. We are the sons and daughters of the living God, His handiwork, created in His image and likeness, the ones for whom He paid a great price. We are His treasure. We are family. Never forget it!