Part 1
God tells us in the Ten Commandments to honor our parents.
He feels strongly enough about this directive to include it in both the Old and New Testaments.
It is the only commandment that offers a reward for universal obedience.
God says that societies in which children honor their parents will endure for a long time.
Part 2
Honoring our fathers and mothers means treating them with respect and esteeming their position, even if they are unworthy of admiration.
It means allowing God to convey his love to them through our thoughts, words, motives, actions, and reactions.
Part 3
When we are young, honoring our parents means following their instructions and submitting to their authority.
This childhood obedience lays the foundation for our future success.
As we grow older, the honor we showed our parents translates into respect for other authorities, including coaches, teachers, military commanders, employers, and law enforcement.
Part 4
Jesus told the Pharisees, grown men, to honor their fathers and mothers. He equated dishonor with hypocrisy.
Why would God urge adults to obey this command?
As we age, we notice our parents’ bad habits, blind spots, and character flaws. We recognize their parenting mistakes that harmed us. We may need to accommodate their frailties.
Honoring our parents while tolerating their shortcomings teaches us to be kind, patient, forgiving, and magnanimous.
These traits characterize a person who is walking in harmony with God.
Part 5
What about negligent or harmful parents who harm their children? Should they be honored?
To the extent possible, yes.
However, God understands that many wounded children may need extensive healing before they can even consider this possibility. He knows some of us may not heal until our parents have passed away.
God stands ready to help us cope with our past and present pain as we walk in harmony with him. His aid package includes spiritual and tangible resources for those traumatized by harmful parents.
God never condemns those unable to honor their mother or father because of deep-seated wounds.
His displeasure is reserved for those capable of honoring them but who neglect to do so.
Part 6
Our children learn to honor us by watching us honor our parents, especially when generations overlap.
Our grandchildren learn the same lesson by watching our children honor us in our later years.
Unless selfishness or trauma intervenes, our grandchildren will honor our children in their later years, just as our children honored us in ours, and we honored our parents in theirs.
This sequence will repeat in each new family branch as long as our descendants continue to model parental honor.
Thus, the honor we show our elderly parents today can create a positive legacy that endures for generations.
Part 7
Honoring parents in childhood instills respect for authority, a trait found in orderly societies.
Honoring them in adulthood fosters grace and benevolence that epitomize compassionate societies.
Honoring parents across multiple generations fosters stable families, which form the foundation of durable societies.
