Honor Your Father and Mother

Deuteronomy 5:16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Sometimes memories of my dad will come rushing back into my mind and it is like he is still here. Nearly four years ago two weeks shy of his 85th birthday, my dad went home to be with the Lord. Now mom wanders about in the home that they built and misses her mate of 62 years.

There is something to be said for longevity of marriage. There is a certainty about it. You know the other persons strengths and weaknesses. And if you chose to have a marriage that was harmonious you learned how to deal appropriately with each challenge that came along. As the children came, mom and dad struggled to keep the family home financially afloat while still being faithful to the commitment to give to the Lord His tithe.

Hard work was the watchword. Both of them were never given to sitting around. In fact, we learned as kids to chat with mom while she did dishes, cleaned, sewed, gardened or whatever was the task at hand. Dad was more of a moving target. The farm took a lot of his time but he did spend time now and again helping with homework problems that caused us to stumble.

I marvel as I look back at the heritage that they provided to each of us. Oh, there were things that I surely wish had been done differently but I believe that God gave me parents that loved Him first and foremost. They loved their children and gave of all they had to see us achieve more than what they ever expected. They loved us through the stormy years and loved us through the peaceful ones and for that I am thankful.

Honoring your father and mother is not about giving gifts. Although there is nothing wrong with that expression. Honoring your father and mother is about giving thanks for the sacrifices and the love that they provided. It is about teaching your children about what was important to their grandparents. It is about realizing that the very life that God has given to me was an expression of their love. What a miracle. And what a blessing.

I miss you, Dad. And I am doing my best to honor mom in every way I can.