Growing into an adult is not a pass to finally be rid of God's command to honour our parents. Whether you have grown to become independent or not, your parents remain to be your parents and God's command to honour them stays the same.
Ephesians 6:2-3 tells us, "'Honour your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."
I believe God attaches a promise to the command to honour our parents because He puts a premium on our relationships with them even when we've grown old enough to become independent of them.
It's not always easy for everyone to honour their parents, most especially when we start moving on with our own lives. But this command has no conditions.
Here are five ways adult children can honour their parents.
1. Keep Communication Lines Open
Too many times kids move on in life and even out of their hometowns to never be seen or heard of again by their parents. While we move out of a household when we grow up, we never grow out of our parents' lives. Remember to give your parents a call or a visit as frequently as you can.
2. Keep Praying for Them
As my daughter has grown up, I have taught her the importance of praying for me and her mother because parents need as much spiritual covering as possible. That never changes as we grow older. Parenting is tough, and we need all the prayers we can get, and I don't think that's ever going to change.
3. Honour Them Before Others
How do you speak of your parents to your friends and colleagues? Maybe you find yourself making fun of your parents or telling people of the awful things they did but never of the good. Imagine how they would feel if they heard you say those things. The way we speak of our parents to others highly determines the level of honour and respect we have for them.
4. Live Your Life to the Full
Parents only desire the best for their children. When their kids live life to the full, chase their dreams and succeed, parents are highly honoured. I do what I do mainly for God and my family, but also to bring honour to my parents who trained me and moulded me to the best way they could. We can all do the same as well.
5. Thank Them for Raising You Up
When was the last time you vocally thanked your parents for raising you, providing for you, training you and helping you as you grew up? Parents aren't perfect and they make mistakes, but it's only because they're broken sinners like you and me. And as sinful as they are, we owe them a debt of gratitude for sacrificing for us at many points and for giving us the life we now have.
