“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
Exodus 20:12
 
As we continue our look at the Ten Commandments, it’s very easy to skip over some of the ones that may seem “easy.” I think we do that all too often with #5. To read “honor your father and mother” seems pretty straight forward and shouldn’t need that much discussion. But I think we MISS how foundational this statement really is…and how much it can affect our daily lives.
 
I am VERY thankful that I was raised by God-loving and God-fearing parents! I’m thankful that Suzanne had that blessing as well, and our children get to see their Grandparents attend Church, pray and put God first in their lives! If you have been BLESSED with Godly parents, take a moment to thank God for that, and if they are alive, call them or text them right now…tell them the impact that has on you today!
 
While I’m typing that…I realize that some who are reading this did NOT grow up in a Christian home. This command can be very touchy for you. I remember being a young minister and dealing with students from the Children’s Home. I loved sharing hope and good news with them, but I learned a valuable lesson one day. I was talking about “God is our Loving Father…He cares for you like a Father should!” When I said that, many eyes widen and heads dropped. To them, Dad was the guy that beat them. Dad was the guy that was drunk all the time. Dad left. They didn’t WANT God to be their Dad! So should we honor our parents if they WERE NOT Godly parents??
 
My answer? YES…because God says to do it.
We don’t have to approve of everything they have done. We don’t have to AGREE with everything they have done. But to honor a parent is a gift that you give them-not because they deserve it-but because God has challenged us to listen to HIM! It does NOT say “You don’t have to honor your parents if they weren’t nice.” It just says Honor them! Here’s a few ways that you can live out the 5th Commandment:
 
Forgive Them- Maybe the greatest gift you can give to parents is your forgiveness. Maybe they didn’t do everything right. Maybe they were under a lot of pressure. And maybe the outcome wasn’t what YOU wanted. Forgive them. Not because they asked for it, or deserve it…but because God has called you to do it.
 
Speak Well of Them- It’s very easy to BLAME in this world…what if you chose to speak kindly of your parents? Tim Keller said, “It’s respect for parents that is the basis for every other kind of respect and every other kind of authority.” It is far too easy in this culture to air our dirty laundry on Social Media and in so doing, dishonor people. The Bible says that the penalty for cursing parents is the same as assaulting them! (Check out Leviticus 20:9 or Exodus 21:17!) Choose your words kindly…and speak well of them!
 
Be There For Them- David is at a particularly low point in his life when he cries out to God in Psalm 71:9 to say, “Do not cast me away in the time of my old age.” Many in our church family are caring for parents that are aging and losing their independence. I can’t imagine what aging parents are feeling…but I can imagine that there is a fear of being alone! Shoot…at ANY age, we fear being left behind! You can honor your parents by just sitting with them, calling them, visiting with them…and certainly praying for them!
 
God is not calling you to honor parents because they’ve earned it. He’s calling us to honor our parents because HE HAS SAID SO! As we honor them…we honor HIM! And our Heavenly Father has most assuredly “earned” that! Take time to show honor to your parents today…and in so, you will bless God!
 
Baruch Hashem (Blessed Be His Name)
Don