"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." - Exodus 20:12
We will always be the child of our parents no matter how old we may be. Our fathers will always be our fathers, and our mothers will always be our mothers, even if we already have our own families. As such, God's command to honor our parents will always be applicable to us.
Yet, many of us fail to remember that while our parents are alive, we are to honor them. We may have our own families, but before we had our own we were once children raised by our parents, no matter how imperfect they may be.
This brings me to what I want to share with you, dear reader. Our parents, especially when they age, experience something unpleasant which is called the "empty nest syndrome." They feel this the moment we leave them to pursue our careers and start our own families.
This empty nest syndrome causes our parents to feel alone, unloved, and even insignificant. They feel abandoned and are looking for worth, something worth doing, and something that will make them feel happy again.
And so, dear friends, I would like us to talk about one thing that our ageing parents want from us, their grown-up kids: the love that we can give to them as their children.
Forever young
Did you know that no matter how old we become, our parents will always see the children they once played with and took care of when we were young? They were there when we were born, were there when we grew up, most probably were there during significant moments in our lives, and were there to see us leave home to marry or to pursue that career.
It's very likely that they will always picture out that little kid who cried at night longing for some milk and cuddling, that young child who ran home sobbing because of a little boo-boo from falling down the garden steps, that young student who received a medal for performing well in class, and that young adult who graduated from college with flying (or not flying) colors.
Yes friends, our parents will remember all of these, and all that they long for is for their son or daughter to remember them and give them love as they grow old.
How we can do that
Dear friends, I would like to encourage you. Let's honor the Lord by honoring our ageing parents. Here are some ways we can do that this Christmas.
1) By remembering them
Friends, we may be far away from our parents but the internet and many other things shorten the distance between us. Let's send them messages through Facebook, email, or even Instagram photos, just make sure they know how to use it.
Let's find ways to tell them that we remember them. They deserve the effort.
2) By visiting them
Christmas happens once a year, so why not visit them? Greeting them a "merry Christmas" in person will mean so much more than sending them a postcard with a photo of their grandkids.
3) By taking care of them
Lastly, let's take care of our parents. We can do so much for them, depending on our capacity.
Pay for their insurance and healthcare. Send them provisions on a monthly basis. Hire a caretaker to watch over them and give them adequate care, even if they are healthy and able to watch out for themselves. Whatever it is that we can do for their good, let's do it.
Best of all, let's include them in our prayers. He loves them more than we can ever.
