No Day At the Beach

Brother McLay and I love being parents. We adore our children. We love spending time with them. We learn from them all the time. We have fun--lots of fun--being their parents.

That said, It's not always easy being a parent. Really. It's no day at the beach.

Right now you might be rolling your eyes, thinking, "Ha! That's nothing. You should try having a parent."

Well, that's hard, too. We've been there. But now that Brother McLay and I are parents, we get to see the other side of the coin, too.

Ephesians 6:1-2 read, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and thy mother (which is the first commandment..."

Commandment. Honoring your parents is a commandment. (SELF STUDY: Look up the word HONOR in the dictionary. What exactly does it mean to honor your parents? Look particularly at the first definition on dictionary.com: honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions) Why is honoring your parents a commandment? Well....because, it doesn't always come naturally. The Lord knows this, so he teaches us--and YOU--what our role as children should be, no matter what our parents are like.

I ran into one of Brother McLay's seminary students at the park the other day. She is an incredible young woman. Just as beautiful and incredible and lovely as young women come. She expressed some frustrations she'd been having with her mom. We chatted about her situation until I had to leave (in other words: stop my children from hanging off the monkey bars, like...um...monkeys.) I gave her a quick hug and waved good-bye.

"Be patient with your mom," I said as I walked away, "She's doing her best." (Because, after all...I'm a mom and I'd want my kids to be patient with me)

I then felt impressed to add, "Which is not to say it is THE BEST, but it's her best." (Because, after all, I'm a mom and I know we moms really do try our best but sometimes don't do it very well.)

Let's now go back and finish that scripture in Ephesians 6:2. It says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and thy mother (which is the first commandment...with promise.)"

What is this promise? The FIRST promise given with a commandment? You'll find it in Exodus 20:12 and it says, "that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord God giveth thee." Some people joke that the promise is your days will be long. But, if you read it carefully, the promise is your days will be long in the land. Crossreference it, and you'll learn that the land here is the promised land. Honor your parents, and your days will be long in the promised land.

It is not coincidence that the first commandment to have a promise attached to it is the commandment to honor your father and mother. Instead, here is a beautiful reminder to us that the Lord knows. He knows how difficult it is to be a child. He knows what kind of humility it takes to be teachable, to learn the lessons of youth, to honor a mother who is just trying her best. He knows. And, so He gives you a clear and blessed promise for your obedience.

With that said, we invite you to take a vacation this weekend from eye-rolling, griping and whining about your parents. Honor them. Love them. And let the promised blessings come.