'Peace be with you.'

Guiding our youth.

When you are without a doubt Steem's most legendary blogger, it is not surprising that young Steemians would turn to you for advice on love, life and family values. So when a young man and SteemChurch parishioner recently sought the wise and fatherly guidance of SirKnight, how could he refuse?

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Family equals Happiness.

At least this is how the fairy tale goes. For the majority of families this Knight would like to believe it is true. To him family is everything - the most one can strive for. The pinnacle of success.

In the case of the young man, his childhood had not been a happy place as his family had been dysfunctional. He also lacked responsible fatherly guidance.

A family can mean a lifetime of love and support for its members. However families are also hard work. And this Knight plans on addressing some adversities throughout his new 'Family Values' mini-series - right here at SteemChurch.

Some will say that you don't need a family to be happy. That you can be perfectly happy as a dependant of the state - without love and affection and with limited freedoms. This is simply not true. We were not designed to function effectively in solitude. We were designed by God to exist within the loving bonds of family.

God and the family.

To God there is no structure stronger than that of the family, the building block for free societies.

'Honor your father and mother' he commanded (Exodus 20).

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Of course a strong unit needs its leaders to be respected and followed. However, this was not all God confirmed...

'Honor your father and mother... so that you may live long in the land the LORD your god is giving you.'

Yes, if you wish to continue to prosper in the land God has given to you, you must keep your family strong. The warning God gave to his people was that failure to keep your family together, will result in loss of land, wealth, power and influence.

We do of course see the massive loss of wealth these days not only through divorce, but through so called 'progressive' (socialist) movements which attempt to attack and weaken the family unit and take God's land as their own.

'Thou shall not commit adultery' he commanded... because adultery is the easiest way to tear apart a happy family.

God also commanded us not to covet your neighbor's house, wife, servants and means of transportation'. Why? Because for your family to be strong and happy, you must focus on what you have and build upon that. When you spend your days dreaming of being someone else, you are wasting your time and failing your own family.

The family unit - mother, father and children is our natural state. God engineered our biology to desire and achieve fulfillment within a family and he has commanded us to live this way.

SirKnight: The squire years.

Rich, handsome, articulate, powerful, charismatic, charming are just a handful of the words that the ladies use to describe SirKnight. However, it has not always been this way.

As a squire, SirKnight too longed for love, romance, companionship, someone to forge a family with. And he roamed the village in search of that special woman whom would make him whole. But alas - nothing.

What the squire did not know at the time was... he was just a boy. He was still living in the family home. He was at university, but with no professional career prospects. He worked hard - but he was not enterprising or idealistic.

The rite of manhood.

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Generally speaking, throughout history and across societies, girls simply become women through physical maturity. Men on the other hand must pass through a rite of manhood to prove their worth as a protector and provider - and whilst these rites might have changed with the evolution of society, boys these days still need to complete them nevertheless.

The squire, packed his bag, left the village and traveled the world. Through many lands and kingdoms. He worked and accumulated. He gained worldly knowledge and life experiences. The squire had left his comfort zone and in doing so found maturity. And soon the squire from the small village had grown into SirKnight - the manly man you admire today.

In a big city on the other side of the world he met the future Mrs Knight. He promised her love and protection and a family. She promised him to have and to hold him, forsaking all others, from that day forward.

They returned to his village where they were wed, and life was blissful. However, this bliss would not be achievable if SirKnight had not faced his manhood trials and emerged victorious.

SirKnight's pearls of wisdom.

So SirKnight's first piece of advice to all young men of the SteemChurch searching for their mate - 'become the man within.'

For each of you the rite of manhood will be different. For some like SirKnight it may involve a journey, for others it may simply be about learning a trade or profession. For many it will be taking on the financial risk associated with a home or business loan. For a few the rite might come about through the provision of palliative care for a loved one.

Regardless of what form your rite of manhood will take, it will always involve two things:

1 - Risk.
2 - Stepping outside your comfort zone.

Next week.

In the next instalment of 'SirKnight's Family Values' we will examine the impact of children upon the blissful couple.