Tips for Celebrating Respect for Parents Day
August 1 is Respect for Parents Day, a fitting celebration for all Christians. Just preceding Respect for Parents Day is National Parent’s Day celebrated the fourth Sunday of each July, which was adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994. The sentiment of honoring parents started with God. He gave us only Ten Commandments as basic guidelines to live by, and one of them is about how to treat our parents. The following are some scriptures and tips on how to honor parents.
The Fourth Commandment
“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 New King James Version (NKJV)
God gave us a commandment with a promise when He told us to honor our parents. Our days will be long when we follow this command, which means that we will live longer. Since God’s promises are all sure things, as long as our conditions are met, it’s sweet to realize we should prepare for old age because we’ll be around long enough to enjoy retirement.
When to Obey Parents
God provides additional clarity on how to keep the Fourth Commandment, as it says in Colossians 3:20:
“Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.”
It’s always nice to know exactly what God means in the Bible, and obedience to parents is clearly laid out: Obey parents in ALL things. There’s no room for discriminating between one thing and another. God’s Word is God himself speaking through these 66 books written by men directed from above, and God’s message to us is to fully obey our parents.
A Warning
In Proverbs 20:20, we learn that there are negative consequences to cursing our parents:
“Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.”
To curse someone is to call for injury or misery to fall upon them.
Ways to Honor Your Parents
What are some ways to honor parents besides obeying them when you’re a child? The following are some helpful tips:
- Make good choices, and it will make your parents look good.
- Communicate with your parents to express your appreciation for what they’ve done for you. Be as specific as you can. For example, “Thanks, Mom and Dad, for always sending me to youth camp. It’s where I made the decision to wholeheartedly follow Jesus.”
- Stay connected to your parents on a regular basis and let them know what’s going on with you.
- Support your parents’ pursuits. Show excitement for their interests, keeping in mind that they helped you chase your dreams when you were a kid.
- Avoid getting deep in debt through unrestrained spending so that you don’t find yourself expecting a bailout from your mom and dad.
- Treat your parents on occasion instead of always expecting them to pick up the tab.
Happy Respect Your Parents Day!
We can trust God in everything, including the command to respect our parents. There are always blessings in obedience, which guarantees that your parents aren’t the only ones to be blessed when you give them your respect. How will you show respect to your parents?
