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Exodus 20; Ephesians 6 – How To Honor Even Your Unworthy Parents
You never know where a conversation will go. Sitting in the doctor’s waiting room, I saw an old man shivering. I asked, “Are you cold?” He responded, “Yes, I’ve been a Colts fan all my life.” I didn’t correct him.
But somehow that led to, “Can I ask you a question? How does a grown child honor a parent who continues to put him down, even hitting him?”
That’s a strange question from a stranger. And a heavy one (literally). The Bible, in both Testaments (Exodus 20; Ephesians 6) says “honor your parents.” To “honor” literally means to count as heavy. So honoring is a weighty responsibility.
Here’s what I told him: First, honoring does not mean putting yourself into danger. Second, here are ways a grown child can honor his ill-behaving parents: 1) By providing financial needs but without enabling bad behavior. 2) By not putting the parent and ourselves in a position to sin by hurting us. 3) By praying for them (every Mother’s Day and Father’s Day we pray for our sons’ birth parents). 4) By not lying about them and spreading gossip. These are real actions based on real experiences.
I then gave him a church card with my name and phone number. You never know where a conversation will lead; it might even lead a lost soul to Jesus.
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