How often do we glaze over this verse and the verses that go along the same lines? Quite often we read the words, but don't apply them completely to our hearts. Not only are we to honor our parents, but we are told to by God himself! And oh what a blessing He will give when we decide to follow His commands and honor our them. What does it mean to honor our parents though?
Many times we think of it as only obeying and listening to what they say, but is that really as far as we are to go? Should we stop there? Really, if we truly stop and think of what it means to honor something, couldn't we be doing more than just listening?
Honor means to regard someone or something with high respect. When we listen and obey, we are honoring. However, sometimes there is a slacking in our honor when it comes to expanding beyond the simplicity of simply listening and obeying. Honor can be shown in so many ways that we don't think of. Everyone has the capability to listen and obey on command, and even though it's honoring, there could be more. Sometimes, we need to show more respect in how we respond.
Acting quickly and with a cheerful countenance shows more respect and regard for the person whom the task was assigned by than simply moving and getting the job done. Simple actions with which we can show honor, regard, and respect to our parents is moving faster than we do sometimes. Now, while this may be geared towards those who are younger, how about those of us who are of an adult age? While we have a bit more freedom sometimes, why should we be any different? Do our parents deserve less honor suddenly?
I will fully admit that I am guilty of reacting, but not always in a cheerful way. Sometimes the true show of respect is missing. They may not notice, but they will always notice if I do the task cheerfully and quickly. There are depths to this verse that are not always looked at.
But respect can also be seen when decisions are being made in a child's life. How often do we include our parents in decisions that we make. The past couple of nights I've listened to two beautiful messages from Lehigh Valley Baptist Church here and here. They are both sermons and speak of how we, as Christians, should go about having a relationship with someone of the opposite sex. The subject has been close to my heart over the past year. It's an important subject, but one that sometimes we forget our parents should be involved in.
We may be in charge of our own lives, but we are only one sinner, full of flaws. Sometimes we need someone on the outside who can see more clearly than we can at that moment. Parents are full of wisdom that some of us really don't utilize as much as we should or could. There are so many times that we can show the utmost respect, honor, and regard to our parents when we include them in any decision that we are to make, and the joy they feel when they are included is worth the time we take to listen. And generally, things usually turn out better in the end anyways...
So how often do we really honor our parents? Will we work towards bettering our actions to show it?
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