I'm writing this editorial while in Alaska, where two days ago a man showed me photos of some of the huge nuggets of gold unearthed here. One of these rocks, we joked, would ease our financial pain for a long time!

Thousands of prospectors are no longer flocking to Alaska, as they did in the gold rush days. But today, as throughout history, nearly everyone has been fervently searching for something even more precious.

We express it in many different ways, but we all know what it is. In the early 1970s, for instance, we related to singer Neil Young's pop ballad in which he used the metaphor of one seeking for this treasure—that of being deeply in love. "I've been a miner for a heart of gold," he sang.

Those finding their "heart of gold" hold riches in their hands. The love found in a great marriage and family life contains some of the greatest treasures we can ever experience—affection, support, fun, comfort, friendship, happiness, contentment. Those bonds profoundly mold our lives, sculpting how we think and what we become. And they deeply impact our children and succeeding generations.

But more and more people fail to strike it rich. Many sadly identify with Young's lyrics describing how this craving for such a relationship "keeps me searching for a heart of gold, and I'm getting old."

King Solomon understood this thousands of years ago. Although incredibly wealthy, he felt the futility of growing old and missing life's greatest treasures. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes contain his comments about family contentions and the longing for a joyful marriage relationship (Proverbs 21:9, 19; Ecclesiastes 7:26-28; 9:9).

This was a man who had taken an astounding 700 wives and still failed to fill the hunger in his heart. He failed to comprehend that the key to having these riches is found in obeying the laws of God that govern human relationships.

Discover these laws that God designed, and you have found the "mother lode" for happiness and successful relationships! Solomon's father David had found it.

"The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes," he wrote. "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold . . . By them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:8-11).

People today are increasingly ignoring and rejecting God, even trying to legislate out of existence fundamental principles of His laws that have stood for thousands of years!

How preposterous! Do we think we can dismantle the institutional laws of the One who created marriage and family and still expect to find the rewards we crave from those relationships?

The way of God is a gold mine, and it is wealth meant to be shared!

We are dedicated to helping you unearth and understand the treasures contained in God's Word. In this issue, for example, you will discover bits of His knowledge and wisdom that can deeply enrich your marriage and family life. These articles are just little glints of much more that we offer through our print publications and on our Web site, www.gnmagazine.org. We hope and pray that we can help you grow rich in your relationships with God and family! GN