It is easy to get pessimistic about our society when you are focused on pornography, sexually transmitted diseases, or teen pregnancy. However, the desire to help the hungry and those in poverty is higher than I ever remember and is trending even higher.  

Efforts to hand out food and clothes to the homeless, to work in food pantries, and to start ministries to help the poor are a part of every church, Christian school and Christian organization. Teenagers and young adults are leading the way in this positive change in our culture.  

Let's teach our teens to think not just about those who are hungry now but also about those in poverty in future generations. As I mentioned last month, I call this generational decision making.  

According to a recent report, marriage is the strongest factor in reducing child poverty. Even across differing race and education levels, the number of poor children in married families compared to the number of poor children of single parents is 82 percent less!

Children raised by single parents are more likely to  

• have emotional and behavioral problems
• be physically abused
• smoke, drink, and use drugs
• be aggressive
• engage in violent, delinquent, and criminal behavior
• have poor school performance
• be expelled from school
• drop out of high school
• more than twice as likely to have a child without being married, thereby repeating the negative cycle for another generation.

Convincing young people to avoid pornography and save sex for marriage will reduce the number of children raised by single parents. That reduction helps the hungry in future generations by keeping them from ever getting hungry in the first place.  

(Rector, R. (2012, September 5). Special Report #117 - Marriage: America's Greatest Weapon Against Child Poverty. Retrieved from The Heritage Foundation: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/09/marriage-americas-greatest-weapon-against-child-poverty)