“Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honor thy Father and Mother which is the first commandment with promise.” - Ephesians 6:1-2…No matter how old we get, we should continue to honor and respect our parents. Today’s blog entry deals with honoring our parents.
Many of us learned at an early age the importance of obeying of our parents. We understood that if we didn’t do what they told us to do, there would be some sort of punishment. Consequently, many kids avoided being disobedient in the presence of their parents; however at times when they felt like their parents weren’t watching, they would do things contrary to the way their parents raised them. With that being said, I think it’s important to take a look at what the word honor means. To honor can be defined as having “inward respect and reverence for”. A person who is honoring their parents should do so both outwardly and inwardly. They should realize that their actions can honor/dishonor their parents even if their parents aren’t physically there. For instance, an individual can honor their parents by working hard in school, and helping out in the community. A person can dishonor their parents by being a troublemaker in school, and being a negative influence in the community. As Christians we should also realize that our actions can either honor or dishonor God. If a person tells a lie, it’s more than just being dishonest; it’s also a form of dishonoring God.
As a child grows into an adult, they may start to feel like they have life figured out, and as a result ignore good guidance/advice that their parents are attempting to give them. When God uses parents to warn us or give us insight about something, we should not allow pride to cause us to reject the truth they’re speaking. “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18.
And some people reading this blog post may be thinking, “Yeah I hear what you’re saying, but you don’t know my family, and the things I have to deal with.” I’m definitely not going to pretend that I know each person’s specific situation. I understand that some people may have parents/authority figures in their life who are not the easiest to get along with, I also understand that different people come from different family backgrounds (some people may be raised by parents, others by their grandparents, older siblings, other relatives). The point that I want to emphasize is that we should always show our parents (the people who raised us) respect. This isn’t to say that a person is always going to agree with everything their parent says or does, but rather that they should always show forth the love of Christ to their parents. And if your parents have done something wrong that has hurt you in the past, be sure to forgive them.
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Many of us learned at an early age the importance of obeying of our parents. We understood that if we didn’t do what they told us to do, there would be some sort of punishment. Consequently, many kids avoided being disobedient in the presence of their parents; however at times when they felt like their parents weren’t watching, they would do things contrary to the way their parents raised them. With that being said, I think it’s important to take a look at what the word honor means. To honor can be defined as having “inward respect and reverence for”. A person who is honoring their parents should do so both outwardly and inwardly. They should realize that their actions can honor/dishonor their parents even if their parents aren’t physically there. For instance, an individual can honor their parents by working hard in school, and helping out in the community. A person can dishonor their parents by being a troublemaker in school, and being a negative influence in the community. As Christians we should also realize that our actions can either honor or dishonor God. If a person tells a lie, it’s more than just being dishonest; it’s also a form of dishonoring God.
As a child grows into an adult, they may start to feel like they have life figured out, and as a result ignore good guidance/advice that their parents are attempting to give them. When God uses parents to warn us or give us insight about something, we should not allow pride to cause us to reject the truth they’re speaking. “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18.
And some people reading this blog post may be thinking, “Yeah I hear what you’re saying, but you don’t know my family, and the things I have to deal with.” I’m definitely not going to pretend that I know each person’s specific situation. I understand that some people may have parents/authority figures in their life who are not the easiest to get along with, I also understand that different people come from different family backgrounds (some people may be raised by parents, others by their grandparents, older siblings, other relatives). The point that I want to emphasize is that we should always show our parents (the people who raised us) respect. This isn’t to say that a person is always going to agree with everything their parent says or does, but rather that they should always show forth the love of Christ to their parents. And if your parents have done something wrong that has hurt you in the past, be sure to forgive them.
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7