The spirituality of a family depends on good example. When the husband is a practicing Christian, he takes the lead in showing spiritual qualities. If there is no believing husband, the mother usually tries to carry that responsibility. In either case, Jesus Christ provides the perfect model to follow. His conduct, his words, and his thinking were always upbuilding and refreshing. Time and again, the apostle Paul directs the reader to Christ’s loving pattern. For example, he states: “A husband is head of his wife as the Christ also is head of the congregation, he being a savior of this body. Husbands, continue loving your wives, just as the Christ also loved the congregation and delivered up himself for it.”—Ephesians 5:23, 25, 29; Matthew 11:28-30; Colossians 3:19.
4 Jesus was the outstanding example of spirituality and headship manifested with love, kindness, and compassion. He was self-sacrificing, not self-indulgent. He always glorified his Father and respected his headship. He took his lead from the Father, so that he could say: “I cannot do a single thing of my own initiative; just as I hear, I judge; and the judgment that I render is righteous, because I seek, not my own will, but the will of him that sent me.” “I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things.”—John 5:30; 8:28; 1 Corinthians 11:3.
5 What does this mean for husbands? It means that the model they are to follow in all things is Christ, who always subjected himself to his Father. For instance, as Jehovah provided food for all life-forms on earth, so Jesus provided food for his followers. He did not neglect their basic material needs. His miracles of feeding the 5,000 men and the 4,000 are proof of his care and his sense of responsibility. (Mark 6:35-44; 8:1-9) Likewise today, responsible family heads care for the physical needs of their households. But does their responsibility end there?—1 Timothy 5:8.
6 Families also have other, more important needs, as Jesus pointed out. They have spiritual and emotional needs. (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4) We interact with others, both in the family and in the congregation. We need good guidance to motivate us to be up building. In this regard husbands and fathers have a major role to play—even more so if they are elders or ministerial servants. Single parents need similar qualities when helping their children. Parents must understand not only what is being said by family members but also what is being left unsaid. That requires discernment, time, and patience. It is one reason why Peter could say that husbands should be considerate and dwell with their wives according to knowledge.—1 Timothy 3:4, 5, 12; 1 Peter 3:7.
The Apostles who were students of Jesus preached about the family no doubt learned from Jesus.The family arrangement came from Jehovah .To begin with, Jehovah God, our Creator, is the One who originated the family unit. It began in Eden with God’s command to the first man and woman to “be fruitful and become many and fill the earth and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:28) To this day the family unit continues to play a most important role in the outworking of Jehovah’s purpose toward the earth.—Eph. 3:14, 15