Friday, October 13, 2017
(5) Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
(6) You shall not murder.
(7) You shall not commit adultery.
(8) You shall not steal.
(9) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
(10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Exodus 20:12-17 NIV
I had such good parents. They loved me no matter what I did. They provided for my needs. They were my biggest cheerleaders. So honoring them was never hard to do.
After my father died, Bill and I started talking to Mother about coming to live with us. But she had things to do and places to go. We respected her desire to stay independent and to continue the Lord’s work at her church. Later on things sort of fell into place and I told her I thought it was time for her to move to Kentucky. She didn’t kick and scream and pitch a fit. She acquiesced. The respect was mutual.
Many people don’t have good relationships with their parents. Are they supposed to honor them anyway? The short answer is, “yes.”
First we must look at our own culpability. Do we butt heads with them because we, ourselves, are hard to live with? Are we the ones whose attitudes need to change? Are we clashing because of some silly something that needs to be reconciled? And I would suggest that no matter whose ”fault” it is, it is up to us to initiate the reconciliation.
Secondly, do we disrespect our parents because, quite frankly, they haven’t done anything to earn our respect? Perhaps they have been abusive, manipulative, or downright mean. Does that release us from the command to honor them? I kinda don’t think so. Think about this.
“God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”
Romans 5:6-8 MSG
If God can do that for us, shouldn’t we consider honoring our parents — even when they are of no use to us? After all, they did one very wonderful thing — they birthed us. And we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
Also, when our parents are old and vulnerable, it is important for us to do everything we can to try to preserve their dignity. We can honor them when they are at their weakest even if they didn’t do that for us at any point in our lives.
LORD, as we strive toward obedience, help us to honor You by honoring our parents — no matter how easy or difficult that might be.
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