“Honor your father and your mother.”
Exodus 20:12
The word honour literally means “give weight to.” The commandment is telling us: “Give weight to your father and your mother.”
When your father or mother says something, don’t take it lightly. Give weight to their words, to their advice. Don’t brush it off. Take it seriously. Give weight to what they say, to what they think, and to what they desire. What this looks like will change as you grow up.
For children, honouring your father and mother means doing what they say: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1). Jesus Himself is our example. The Bible tells us that as a child He was obedient to His parents (Luke 2:51).
If you are a child, do what your mum and dad tell you. Try your best to do it cheerfully. Watch out for ways that you can show your mum and dad that you love them. Tell them that you love them. Then, as you get older, honour your father and mother. Give weight to their words.
As an adult you are no longer obligated to obey your parents, but God still calls you to honour them. Your mum and dad aren’t always right, but they know you, and they’ve seen more of life than you have. In the big decisions, listen to what they have to say. Think deeply about it. Don’t say, “That’s just Mum and Dad’s opinion.” Say, “This is the opinion of my mother and father.”
When parents reach old age, we honour them by caring for them, by giving weight to their needs. It is easy to become so busy with other things that we neglect our parents. Visiting them and talking to them are important parts of honouring them. The apostle Paul says, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8).
How are you doing at honouring your father and mother?
