Devotion 2: It Is Right
Grant Grimes
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), 'that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land." Ephesians 6:1–3
As a child, one of the hardest things for us to do is honor our parents. Especially for those of us who took childhood as an opportunity to test our parents' patience and become the kind of example other parents use to warn their kids, "Don't be like them." Even though that's how many of us feel, the truth remains: every child has a God-given command to honor their parents.
For many, this is a hard reality to face. The idea of purposefully giving your parents a place of authority in your life might even sound sickening, especially if your relationship with them was strained or painful, but that was never God's intent for this relationship. God, as our heavenly Father, designed the parent-child relationship to be a reflection of the relationship we're meant to have with Him. A relationship built on dependence and submission, rooted in the idea that the one in authority has the best interest of the other at heart.
Growing up, I was fortunate to experience a relationship with my parents that resembled what God intended. Now, it was not perfect—no relationship is—but it gave me a foundation. And as we're talking about this month, that foundation helped me to see who God was. I believe it even led me to understand the kind of relationship God wants to have with me. This should be the goal of every parent-child relationship: The parent loves and leads in a way that makes them easy to honor. The child submits and obeys, not just because Paul says it’s the right thing to do, but because they understand their parent has their best interest at heart.
When we face the opportunity to honor our parents, instead of grumbling and wondering how we are supposed to do this, we can look at God's design. We are intended to honor. When we honor our parents, we ultimately honor the Lord and fulfill God's design for parents and children.
Lord, help me to honor and love You the way You designed me too. Instead of grumbling or going my own way, help me to submit to You first and follow through by submitting to my parents. Lord, I ask that You make my parents easier to honor each day and make submitting better for me each time. Lord, thank You for giving us the example of honor and submission. I love You and thank You for always being with me. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.