Perspectives

Exodus 20… 12) “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV)

The love of a parent, and especially that of a mother, is the closest thing we will find in this life to the love of God – I think. It is a love that is rich and deep and almost impossible to describe. We have heard of people who were lacking in the beauty department described as people who had a face only a mother could love. Well, that is precisely the point. Mothers do not love based on physical beauty; they just love. Parents are like that. They just love their children, warts, and all. Apart from God, our parents are the ones who first loved us.

We all came into the world at an incredibly early age in life. We come in as babies… little bitty people who can not walk or talk or take care of themselves. We were helpless, if someone did not hold us and keep us warm and feed us, we would not survive. There is no more helpless creature born on this earth than a human baby. We are dependent on our parents, especially our mothers that we could not live without them. And because of their love and care we are here today.

In the Fifth Commandment there is not only a principle involved but there are people involved. There is always a potential for problems. But there is no relationship that has more potential for love and hate, joy, and sorrow, then the parent-child relationship. The family is the place where we first begin to understand how to interrelate to one another. It is the place where we learn self-esteem or self-respect. There, in the family, we learn our value systems as human beings. There we receive correction and encouragement, criticized, praised, and ignored. There are so many possibilities that present themselves within the context of the family.

It is in the family that we begin to learn about authority. There we either learn to respect authority or to scorn it. What we learn in this regard will either serve to equip us to live in the real world or cripple us. There are people who will exercise authority over us in this world. While it may begin with father and mother, it will have lasting effect… as a father I can remember countless short comings that I deeply regretted later in life. I have over the years brought those short comings before our Heavenly Father and my children for forgiveness. If we as parents learned our lessons well, along with our children – they can move forward and be successful – it all begins at home.

As adults, the Bible (I believe) does not command us to obey our parents any longer, we are not free to dishonour them. We must honour them by caring for them. We must care for them and attempt to meet their needs both emotionally and physically. We must make sure the children’s basic everyday needs are there. They need love, affirmation, encouragement, and may one day need shelter, food, and physical assistance. We must never, ever push them out of our lives.

The cycle of love is not complete until we honour those parents who raised us. When we are born, we are dependent upon them. They had to provide for all our needs. As we grow, we become increasingly more independent. Finally, we arrive at adulthood and leave the nest to make our own. Then our parents, who were once young and vibrant, experience the security of middle age and finally the vulnerability of old age. In that final stage, they become dependent on us, the children they have raised. It is then that the cycle is complete. It is a beautiful thing.

“To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done”

Would you pray this prayer with me…? “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart. I really want that peace, joy, and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen