Honouring our parents

Parents around the world play instrumental roles in the upbringing of children, shaping individuals and contributing to the fabric of society. 

In the Bible, parents are revered as teachers, disciplinarians and embodiments of love and wisdom. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a parent is defined as 'a mother or father of a person or an animal, or someone who looks after a person in the same way that a parent does.'

The definition of parent is beyond just being a biological father or mother, but also includes those who fulfil parental roles through adoption, fostering, guardianship and other forms of caregiving.

We all, in one way or another, have encountered kindness, received good advice or support from a parent or someone who, as the dictionary defines it, takes care of a person.

Through parents, we have become better men and women in our homes, communities and societies. But do we consider how we can honour the efforts of our parents?

"Honour" is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “great respect, esteem, or reverence received, gained or enjoyed by a person or thing; glory, renown, fame; reputation, good name.”
Various verses in the Bible charge children to honour their parents as a means to receive God’s blessings.

For instance, one of the Ten Commandments directly addresses this obligation: “Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).

Also, in Leviticus 19:3, it is stated, "Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the Lord your God."

Proverbs 23:22 advises, "Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old." These words underscore the paramount importance of respecting and caring for one's parents.

How do we honour parents? We can honour our parents in many ways. Some are:

• Praying for them.
• Taking care of them
• Showing appreciation to them.
• Seeking their advice and opinions.
• Respecting them.
• Spending time with them.
• Surprising them with gifts.
• Being kind and gentle to them.
• Loving them.

Honouring our parents carries enormous blessings upon our life. That is why in Ephesians 6:1-3, honouring our parents promises long life as a reward. As our parents grow older and frail, let us honour them with our love, good behaviour and care.
 
 Lawson Kwame Lugu, 
E-mail: lawsonkwamelugu@yahoo.com