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Honoring Your Parents
November 29, 2011

My dad recently turned 90 years old and his physical capabilities are fading. He can still move around with his walker, but he needs someone to cook his meals and help him with other tasks.

My older brother Steve and his wife Judy lived close to him, so they decided to move in with Dad to care for him. Wanting to help in some way, my wife and I flew across the country to help out a bit by watching Dad while my brother and his wife had some time away together. We enjoyed our time with my father and were glad to ease Steve and Judy’s load—even if it was only for a few days.

The Bible says to “honor your father and mother” (Eph. 6:2). One New Testament commentary says that to honor someone is to “treat him with the deference, respect, reverence, kindness, courtesy, and obedience which his station in life . . . demands.”

For young children, this means obeying parents. For teenagers, it indicates showing respect for Mom and Dad even if you think you know more than they do. For young adults, this means including your parents in your life. And for those in middle-age and beyond, it means making sure that parents are cared for as they move into old age or their health declines.

How can you honor your parents this week?

Don’t miss the opportunity
To honor and obey
The parents God has given you—
For they’ll be gone someday. —Sper

Honoring our parents has no age limit.

Read: Exodus 20:1-17

Honor your father and mother. —Ephesians 6:2

Bible in a year:
Ezekiel 35-36; 2 Peter 1

My parents were divorced after 35 years of marriage. They both remarried later. Mother divorced again due to the husband running off with a 19 year old employee. Daddy remarried and then was widowed. When Mother was 76 I moved her to a retirement center in the town I live in and have for several years. The retirement center was new, nice, served meals in courses like restaurants do, had an activity employee, etc. Mother developed and already had a mild case of Alzheimer's, When my daughter had colon surgery, I employed a sitter to be with her while I was away. Keeping the sitter when returning. Because Mother wanted to go home to Oklahoma, and would pick up her make up case and head out walking to get there.

Then about 4 years later Dad (aged 91), could not live alone any longer, I moved him into the same retirement center. When they met the next morning ... they were glad to see each other, and said to me "we grew up together". It was as if all else ha fallen away.

Dad fell, ashort time later, went to the 'rehabilitation' center, and then the Doctors would not release him to return to where he was living, and said he had Alzheimer's. So he went to a Alzheimer's unit we have here that is as nice as it gets for such facilities. Mother and her sitter would go visit him too. After about 2 more years Mother moved to the nursing home side of this unique facility. There was no way I could lift either one of them. Daddy died just short of his 93 birthday. Mother lived to be 87. It cost two Harvard educations to keep them there. It was their money. I began to fear it would run out. I was not happy with the circumstances, yet it was the best thing possible. Losing our parents is a sad time. And I miss them greatly.

While you have your parents do talk about their youth and history and record it if possible. The time will come when they will no longer be there to ask.