Duck Dynasty: The Family That Prays Together

When I first heard about the show Duck Dynasty, I was mortified. Most of the people trying to outline the premise show produced something similar; it's a show about a redneck family who makes duck calls. My typical response to most "reality TV" lately (in the wake of Real Housewives and Honey Boo Boo) has been something along the lines of, "they are really making money off of this? People really want to watch that??"

I was less than excited the first night my husband, along with my parents, talked me into watching Duck Dynasty. Was there really nothing better on? That's when it happened. The more I watched this show, the more I realized that THIS is what "reality TV" should be. Yes, there's lots of redneck hilarity. Yes, sometimes I have no idea what they are saying. However through all of the silliness, Dynasty has a lot to teach.

First of all, no matter how dumb these guys may seem to be sometimes, they are business men. They've made a pretty penny on their products. Secondly, these are family men. Some of their ideas are just extremely off-the-wall (lawnmower races), some are borderline genius (teaching your daughter to drive out in the woods), and some are just insanely sweet (Si letting his granddaughters paint his nails, and building them a "playhouse"). They teach their family responsibility. They teach their family respect. The really impressive bit comes at the end of each episode. The family sits down together and prays before their meal. They pray for each other; they pray for others around them.

The Robertson family may not live like the rest of us, but they certainly act just like any family. They have their tiffs and ignore each other. The parents and grandparents embarrass the kids when they are going on a date. The brothers get into trouble and the wives just shake their heads. That is what makes this show so powerful. They have strong family values, and at the end of the day they love the little flaws in the people around them. That's the power of family, and that's the power of prayer.

It doesn't matter what you believe in, or how you choose to reflect that in your lives. My husband and I almost never prayed before our supper. Now that it's become a ritual in the house, he's usually the first one to remind me that we forgot to pray before we ate. It surprised me the first time he pointed it out. I welcomed it though, because it was a connection he had begun to value. It was something "our family" was going to be doing.

Value your family. They may be crazy and drive you up a wall. They're all you're given. You may not even have a family that prays together. But a family that celebrates each other? Congratulates each other on their wins, and mourns their losses? A family that chooses to love and bless each other; now that is something to value.