Honor your mother and father

I'm drawing a bit of a blank. It could be that I am surrounded by children as I write this. We are going through growing pains. It's easy to be spiritual when the house is quiet. It is all together different when surrounded by a four year old seeking attention and a 12 year old who seems to be looking for negative attention right now. ARRRRRGGGGG

Honor your father and your mother seems to be the only thing that jumps out. This is not because I was any good at it. It is because I start to see the beauty of this command as a father and not as a child. I certainly like to be honored but forget the golden rule. The command is not telling my children to honor me but me to honor my mother and father.

With nuclear families it is increasingly difficult to do this. No longer do we live in the same house or even town. Hundreds of miles separate us. To honor them is difficult.

I can honor them by praying for them.
I can honor them by understanding that they did their very best.
I can honor them by passing on love to my children.
I can honor them by calling (there's a wacky concept)
I can honor them by helping other parents.

It seems the command seems difficult if I look at the problem. By looking to a solution the command is an invitation.

By the way my favorite little catch phrase about children is hardly pastoral. I've said this to a variety of persons and it is only persons who do not have children who react with shock. I've never met a parent who didn't chuckle.

"Why did God make children so cute? Because if they were not we'd kill them."

There is always a bit of truth in jokes.

Hmmmm maybe that is why we're created in His image?