Griffin Speaks

HONOR YOUR PARENTS

Too often parents are seen as obstacles to be overcome rather than the wise guides we are to be followed and emulated. In the fifth commandment, God lays down a principle for life that will determine how every relationship around you will turn out. (HONOR THY MOTHER AND FATHER) You see, the home is the foundational institution of society. No nation, or community of people, is stronger than the family structure that makes them up. 

As home goes, so goes the nation, the community, the church, etc. In the home, God has established an order that is to be strictly followed. The Father is to be head of that home, submitting himself to the will of God. The wife is to be in subjection to her husband, not a doormat, but as his helpmate. The children are to submit themselves to their parents, and in so doing will be blessed. If this order is followed, then the home will be blessed and will be a blessing to all those in it. You see, when you are out of step in the home, you will be out of step with God and with our fellow human beings. It is in the parental relationship that we must first learn how to submit to the Lord and how we are to serve our fellow man. There is respect that is demanded by the fifth commandment. This commandment makes it plain that parents are to be held in high regard by their children. Parents are not just two old fools out to ruin your life. We have been placed in your life by the sovereign will of God to be you overseer until you reach maturity. Many young people today simply refuse to hear what their parents tell them and as a result, they often experience trouble and hardship. 

Young people would do well to remember that parents speak from the experience gained by taking the hard knocks themselves. Their warnings are given to guide their children into the right path and to steer them past many obstacles of life. The attitude children have toward their parents changes, as they grow older. During the teen years especially, some young people show little respect for their fathers and mothers. However, as they grow older and mature, they begin to recognize that mom and dad knew a lot more than they gave them credit. Sometime young people come to realize with deep regret that if they had followed the counsel of their parents they could have avoided much heartache for both themselves and their family.

 In the words of my dad, “You must honor the chair whether it is sitting, walking or lying down.”

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com or write to him at P.O. Box 250194 Montgomery, Alabama 36125-0194. 

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