12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12
What does it mean to honor your parents?
I think this command looks differently based on your age. Much like our obedience to God, honoring your parents flows not out of guilt but the gratitude and trust that they love us and have our best interests at heart. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we honor them by the work and care they pour into us by living lives that glorify God and point to His Son Jesus Christ.
As children, this means obeying your parents and trusting them to take care of us. As we grow older and our parents give us freedoms, we can honor them by using those freedoms well by taking on responsibilities around the house, and helping our parents with an attitude of gratitude. In the same way we grow in Christ, we can use that freedom from sin He has given us to better serve Him.
As we become adults, honoring our parents means spending time with them as they get older. It means taking care of their needs. This does not mean you will not disagree with your parents, but it means to relying on Jesus to help you resolve conflict lovingly and respectfully.
Honoring our parents can also look very different depending on other circumstances. Parents are not perfect. Often, they are repeating a pattern of behavior they learned as they grew up. These behaviors can be abusive, manipulative, and deceitful. Obedience to God comes before obedience to our parents. It your parents want you to do something that goes against God’s Word, it would not honor them to do so. It also would not honor them to stay in an abusive relationship without setting boundaries.
29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people. Acts 5:29
In situations of abuse, talk to a trusted adult immediately. Silence about abuse is not honoring your parents. In certain situations, we honor our parents by not associating with them. We can honor them by praying for them, but also setting boundaries.
How does knowing Jesus affect the way we interact with our parents?
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. 4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4
Part 1: God’s Holiness Revealed
Part 2: Depending on God
Part 3: Image of God
Part 4: What is in a Name?
Part 5: Resting in God
Part 6: Lifelong Honor
Part 7: Living in Unity
Part 8: Following a Faithful God
Part 9: Work and Generosity
Part 10 Honest Justice
Part 11: Transformed Hearts
It Starts Small 
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