Articles
Children to Parents
Having never been a parent it is hard to imagine the stress, pressure, yet bliss of being responsible for another human life. I would bet it must be difficult to raise a young life to become a mature adult when sometimes after a day of dealing with the stress of being adult yourself you probably just want to come home and be a kid. As a kid we tend to forget that our parents were once our age. We forget to acknowledge just how much extra responsibility they have. We tend to think they have never had the problems we have as a kid, teen and young adult. But it is Ecclesiastes that reminds us, at one time or another everything has happened under the sun. Our problems may be new to us but not to others.
This would be one meaning to the words, “honor your father and mother” in the Bible. (Exodus 20:12, Colossians 3:20, Ephesians 6:1-3, etc.) We children sometimes lack the hindsight to indeed listen to our parents and elders who not only have our best interests at heart but also have in a way been where we are before. Therefore, when we had a rough day or feel our parents are overbearing or “crazy” we must remind ourselves to be respectful. As Christians we not only answer to our parents, but we answer to an even higher authority, God. Just as adults are told not to let their own anger drive their children to anger (Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 15:18) we as kids must do the same. We must do our best to not lash out and curse our parents because that neither brings honor to us, them, and especially to God. (Proverbs 20:20, Proverbs 15)
What about when the path of our parents differs from God’s? We must remember that God always comes first. (Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:26) God’s wisdom is the true wisdom. When this situation happens, it is one of the hardest trials to face. In these moments we must not turn to anger or spite. Remember to be respectful, patient and most important of all, pray and turn to the Bible. More often than not our parents are trying to come from a loving place, even if it seems misguided. The Bible, God, and our hearts will guide us on what the right way to communicate in the moment and going forward. As always too, the church and our spiritual family are here to help, our preachers and elders are there for us. Thank to them for all that they do!
