Words that Inspire

We so easily remember the passage in the bible that admonishes that children honor their parents (Exodus 20:12). This speaks to a child’s duty to honor and respect parents. Honor is an action, a behavior, not an emotion. A child can disagree with parents, but should still honor parents. It is a choice to respectfully disagree or be disrespectful in disagreement. However, we often forget that, no matter how young a child is, that respect should be reciprocated. In other words, the parents have a duty to the children too, other than just receiving respect, raising and providing for a child.

A few days ago, I came across this passage:

⁴ Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction. – Ephesians 6:4 (GNT)

I have seen and heard of situations where parents maltreat and neglect children, sometimes, even abandon them emotionally, and then turn up in the future, demanding a place of honor, from the child, in his or her life. It takes a level of respect or a measure of honor, to not do something that makes someone angry and resentful. As much as children are expected to hold parents in high esteem, parents need to respect children enough, to raise them right. I love the way the amplified version put it:

⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to the point of resentment with demands that are trivial or unreasonable or humiliating or abusive; nor by showing favoritism or indifference to any of them], but bring them up [tenderly, with lovingkindness] in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Parents are humans and can make mistakes. Parents, if you ave done something to make your child resentful (I do not mean upset because of chores and so on), if you have done anything to hurt them, emotionally or physically, please ask repentance from God, and make sure you speak with your child and ask for forgiveness.

In the same way children ask forgiveness from parents when they have hurt them or dishonored them, parents, you need to seek forgiveness from children you have hurt. The process will be long – tender hearts hold bruises for a while, but they are also faster to forgive than those of us who have matured a bit.

As a parent, you want to make heaven and it should be your desire to want your children to obey God and make heaven, and it is your obligation to help them with that. Part of helping them and raising them right, is helping them to honor you. Be patient with your children, especially if you have hurt them or done something to hurt them, respect them and most importantly, pray for them earnestly.