Phase I

Ex.20:¹² “Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Honour your father and mother means give way to their person and have regard for them. I have come to discover that this translates to different things in different phases of life.

I have discovered that what honour your father and mother means to a child is different from what it means to an adolescent and it is also different for an adult. Honour your father and mother to children simply means do what they ask of you.But unfortunately, a lot of people stay in that child frame; they never grow. That is why you see men over forty unable to take decisions concerning their own lives and stand by them.

I once encountered a man that was really conflicted over buying a house. His wife liked the house and he really liked the house too. So, what was the problem? His mother did not approve of the house and that was the source of his conflict. Such a man is stuck in the child frame and he needs to grow out of that. When I told him he needed to grow up, his response was, “Are you telling me to disobey my mother? But the Bible says I should honour my father and mother!” So, I sat with him and explained how honour translates across different phases. He said he had never understood honour like that. A lot of people have been manipulated, destinies truncated, because folks will not do what they ought to do, because of the fear of a father or a mother.

A woman called to complain that her son was dishonouring her and she wanted me to set him straight. I particularly like the boy because he is really spiritual. So, I asked what her son had done. She said someone she did not want to speak with had called her, and she told her son to tell the person she was not around. But the boy refused to do it and told his mother that he could not lie. I told her that I was actually proud of the boy and then I asked, “Is it better for your son to obey you and dishonour God?” As parents, this is the question we have to consistently ask ourselves. For children, honouring your father and your mother simply means, do what they ask as long as it honours God.

Prayer: Father, empower me to consistently teach my children to honour God especially above myself, in Jesus Name. Amen!