Life’s Passages

Read Proverbs 1

My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

Proverbs 1:8

Why should we listen to our parents? Especially as we grow older, we might think this proverb no longer applies to us. However, listening to our parents’ teaching is a way of honoring them, and numerous passages in the Bible connect honoring our parents with living a long and blessed life (see the fifth commandment, Exodus 20:12). This naturally raises questions about how God connects longevity with parental honor.

When we honor our parents by listening to them, we gain wisdom to avoid the hard lessons our parents had to learn. Even more, we have an amazing chance to develop a positive view of aging. If we respect our parents, we are more likely to embrace our own process of aging as a blessing.

As your parents give you advice, put yourself in their position. When you are their age, would you rather be treated as a constant burden or respected as a blessing to the family?

A WORD FOR TODAY

Value parental wisdom.

Lord, you created the stages of life. Help me to respect my parents as I will want to be respected.