God's Wisdom In A Nutshell

Hello,

If you spent some time thinking about the last two posts, I’m sure you came to the conclusion that acting in a way that pleases the Lord is an unbelievably difficult task. The fact of the matter is that when we give our life to God, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts and helps us to fulfill the obligations of being a Christ follower. This is why the Holy Spirit is called “The Helper.”

Children also have instructions from the Lord that look very hard at first glance, especially if they have parents that are less than stellar individuals. Take a look…

Commandment Five

Honor you Mother and Father. Then you will live a long full life in the land your God, the Lord is giving you. (Exodus 20:12 NLT)

If you are a kind and loving parent you may say to yourself “Of course my children should honor me, I provide for them, guide them and they should respect my authority!”  But think about this a moment. How many children have narcissistic parents or parents who are physically in the home but emotionally absent. Worse yet, those parents who have physically, sexually or verbally abused their children.  What is required of these children? Do they need to honor their parents?

Definition:

Honor.  To fulfill an obligation or keep an agreement.

This is tough. This is one of many many scenarios that people shake their heads and scream at the heavens.  But we must remember that God always levels the playing field when we follow His commandments. He also erases the memory of pain and can make the next season of a child’s life, a season where their “Joy will be made full.”

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be made full.” (John 16:24)

God never instructs anyone to endure abuse. If a child is old enough to tell someone, they need to alert someone in order to protect themselves from further suffering. Maintaining healthy boundaries by leaving the home of an abusive parent, is honoring them at a distance. The child is isn’t allowing the parent to abuse them anymore.

Keeping the obligation of “honoring your parents”  is acknowledging that they are your parent, you have the gift of life through them and you can thank them for what they have given you while  stepping away from their abuse.

Honoring your parents has a promise attached, some Bible translations say “Honor your Mother and Father so it will be well with you.”  Basically, God will bless children for listening to the authority of their parents plus, it sets up a child to honor the Lord and His teachings -which also can be a difficult task.

No parent is perfect, but if children keep in mind that healthy minded individuals do the best they can and they don’t intend to hurt or diminish their children in any way, it will be easier to live through the tough aspects of childhood.

For those children who have parents who have abused them in any way- the end of the parenting role will arrive-either by the authorities finding the child’s claim of abuse reliable, or if the child is too young to be believed, the child can remove themselves at a later time.  God will bless those children who have endured abuse by their parents. Blessings always come to those who honor the Lord’s teachings.

This is a harsh Post because so many parents mistreat their children. The best thing we as Christians can do, is spread the Word of God. If a child believes in God, they will have hope. This hope combined with the Holy Spirit will give them the “peace of Christ that transcends all understanding.”

Talk to the children in your life about the Lord- He is their only hope for so many harsh situations.

Have a wonderful week,

Lisa