Father:
And I know that it's not easy
To be calm when you've foundSomething going on
But take your time, think a lot
Think of everything you've got
For you will still be here tomorrow
But your dreams may not
Son:
How can I try to explain?
When I do he turns away again
It's always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk
I was ordered to listen
Now there's a way
And I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
How can I try to explain?
When I do he turns away again
It's always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk
I was ordered to listen
Now there's a way
And I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
from the song "Father and Son" -Cat Stevens, 1970.
Sometimes getting along with our parents seems impossible. They see things one way and we see things another way. They tell us what to do, what to wear and who we should be friends with. They treat us as if we were little kids!
The above song tells a story of a father and son who don't get along well. By the second paragraph, we see that the
son is looking forward to growing up and leaving home. He
doesn't see any other solution to their problems. How did it get this bad and is there any other solution to their problems?
It was not always like this. As little children, we all know that we sometimes missed our parents when they were in another room for five minutes. We enjoyed being with them. A lot of us remember saying that we wanted to be just like them when we grew up.
The Bible, a guidebook for living, has a lot of helpful advise to both parents and young people to help things run more smoothly at home. In Ephesians 6:2 it states, " Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise." Notice that this Bible verse does not say that you should love everything your parents do and every decision that they make. It says honor them. Honoring them means carefully giving them the respect of thinking over what they
say.
The term honor means that even if you disagree with them and need to tell them how you feel, that you should do that without yelling or cursing. The second part of the Bible verse tells us that trying to honor our parents comes with a "promise." Doesn't that intrigue you just a little bit? The truth is that when we honor our parents it has long-term good effects. If we try to work through our differences in our family, we are practicing social skills that will also be useful with our teachers, our friends and when we start a job.
son is looking forward to growing up and leaving home. He
doesn't see any other solution to their problems. How did it get this bad and is there any other solution to their problems?
It was not always like this. As little children, we all know that we sometimes missed our parents when they were in another room for five minutes. We enjoyed being with them. A lot of us remember saying that we wanted to be just like them when we grew up.
The Bible, a guidebook for living, has a lot of helpful advise to both parents and young people to help things run more smoothly at home. In Ephesians 6:2 it states, " Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment with promise." Notice that this Bible verse does not say that you should love everything your parents do and every decision that they make. It says honor them. Honoring them means carefully giving them the respect of thinking over what they
say.
The term honor means that even if you disagree with them and need to tell them how you feel, that you should do that without yelling or cursing. The second part of the Bible verse tells us that trying to honor our parents comes with a "promise." Doesn't that intrigue you just a little bit? The truth is that when we honor our parents it has long-term good effects. If we try to work through our differences in our family, we are practicing social skills that will also be useful with our teachers, our friends and when we start a job.
When I first thought about honoring my parents, I thought that God wouldn't ask me to do that if he knew my parents. My parents had made some huge mistakes in their lives. Yet, the Bible doesn't tell us to honor our parents only if they deserve it. No parents are perfect. We won't be perfect either if we decide to be a parent. So, let's focus on why we should honor them.
Even thought they are not perfect, their many years of life experience have given them wisdom and insight. They have been where we are now, and have had many similar experiences. They can look back with some wisdom and give us advise on how to deal with our problems. The wisest man in the Bible was King Solomon. Solomon while yet a young man asked God for wisdom. He commented," hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck." -Proverbs 1:8-9.
Why not take advantage of the elders in your life? There is still so much that you can learn from them. God's desire is for the older men and women in your family to teach you all they know about life. They will teach you how to take care of a house, family and how to get an education.
NEXT WEEK : I WILL CONTINUE MY YOUNG ADULT SERIES.
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