"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1 NIV)

We live in an age of continuous change and ever-increasing interdependence as nations become integrated into a global political and economic system. What happens to families in Darfur should be a concern to our members in Decatur, Douglas, Dundee, and Detroit. What happens in Asia should be of concern in Alto, Allegan, Acme, and Alpena—and elsewhere around the Lake Union.

United States citizens are often accused of being ignorant of and insensitive to the customs and lifestyles of other cultures. Even in our own country, one of the most diverse in the world, we tend to surround ourselves with those like us and often know little about others.

In addition to the challenges of changes in family living arrangements, gender roles, and life-cycle changes, families around the world also face pressing issues that profoundly affect their ability to rear their children, care for the elderly, and maintain healthy, intimate relationships.

News reports and televised programs give glimpses into the plight of many who are living in war zones and suffering from poverty and migration challenges. But it is salient to consider the individuals and their families.

Armed conflicts have gone on for decades with devastating consequences for families. Widowhood, divorce and separation, unmarried women having children, and men leaving all contribute to female-headed households. The women rear families alone while their husbands fight.

One study found that three-fourths of female-headed households in parts of Sri Lanka came about because of ethnic violence. The burdens are immense as these women shoulder heavy economic and emotional trials. When their loved ones mysteriously disappear, it is very difficult to accept that not only their husbands, but their fathers and sons may be dead as well. Some women slip into serious mental illness and desperately wish to end their lives.

Children are deeply affected, witnessing horrific events. Many grieving mothers cannot nurture or support their children as needed. Poverty negatively affects every aspect of family daily life and functioning. The year 2006 ended the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty. Yet, more than one billion people live in poverty around the world. The numbers should have been dramatically reduced, yet have steadily increased in disproportionate dimensions in most developing countries.

In Asia, women leave their families for a more promising life in the garment industry and end up earning low wages or unemployed. A century of migration to South Africa has deeply affected family life, resulting in declining farm production, abandonment of many wives and children, and an increase in female-headed households. Whatever form migration takes, it clearly has a significant impact on family life.

How can families survive under these conditions? How can they ever have a healthy level of functioning? We know that even under the most extreme conditions families do survive. But is there more we can do?

Today, we are challenged to think globally, to understand more about international economy, to comprehend government systems, and closer to home, to work and study side by side with immigrants from far-flung cultures. If we choose to, we can see that we are interconnected to families around the world. We are all a part of the Body of Christ, and our cultures and ethnic differences should not lessen the reality that we are part of the same family.

Susan Murray is an associate professor of family studies who teaches behavioral science and social work at Andrews University. She is a certified family life educator and a licensed marriage and family therapist.