Honor
Honor
Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old. (Prov. 23:22)
As Shelly was getting ready to leave, the phone rang. It was her parents’ number. “Hi honey,” her mom said. “How are you?”
“I’m fine, Mom.” Shelly’s voice sounded impatient even to her own ears. “I’m on my way out.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that I haven’t heard from you lately so I thought I’d call.” Shelly rolled her eyes. “We talked yesterday, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. So how are you today?”
“Well, I’m busy now,” she said, gathering her purse and keys. “I’m going to pick Sam up from school and take him to soccer practice.”
“Sam is playing soccer?”
Shelly squeezed the phone in frustration. “We talked about it last week.”
Her mom paused before saying, “I’m sorry. I’m getting so forgetful.”
Her mom’s memory had always been so sharp, but lately it was starting to go. Deep down Shelly was afraid of what these memory lapses could mean, but she was having a hard time being patient with her. As she drove, she prayed, Lord, she deserves better treatment than what I’m giving her. Forgive me for not trying to understand.
What does “honor your parents” look like when you are an adult and they are getting older? According to Proverbs, it means listening to them. Being patient when they tell you that story you’ve heard a hundred times already. Living your life wisely, not making foolish decisions that will bring them heartache. Helping them as they grow older. When we honor our parents, we honor God. He sees and knows and is pleased.