On Mother's Day and Honoring Parents

Well, tomorrow is Mother's Day. It's interesting, the calendar that is. We have so many holidays for so many things, and of course, there are discussions on various sides of that issue. "Oh, it's just a day so stores can sell more candy or cards," says one person. Another might state that these are good reminders, days that help us remember special people and events.

I don't think Paul had these kinds of days in mind in Romans 14:5-9, per se, but I think some of the principles still apply. Be careful not to judge if someone celebrates (or chooses not to) a man-made holiday.

But that isn't the gist of this post. The gist is short and simple: Honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:1-3). Whether you observe the man-made days of Mother's and Father's Day doesn't change that.

There's, of course, a delicacy to this for some. My mom did not have a great relationship with her mom; many out there may not even know their mom. I understand this, and I want to be incredibly gracious and careful here. But difficulty doesn't give an excuse; we're not given an out as believers to be bitter. This is incredibly difficult; in fact, it is impossible apart from the working of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25). But I understand this is a deeper conversation for another time. However, I encourage you, if you are in that boat, to seek God's help in healing the hurt caused by difficult parents. Again, a bad relationship might mean it will look different, but the call to honor parents is still there.

Also, it can be easy to (intentionally or unintentionally) look down upon women who have never been able to have children, to have never been mothers. This doesn't make them less-than. Children are a blessing from the Lord, yes, but it appears not always to be His will. Extend grace to these women; they are so valuable in this life and to the Lord.

Either way, honoring our parents is a high calling, and one of the Ten Commandments; It is obviously important to God.

How do we do that? Some simple suggestions: love and pray for your parents. We ought to wisely defer to them at times. We should seek their good, primarily spiritually. In other words, we should carry out the New Testament's command to love one another as Christ has loved us.

It's going to look different for different people. Some will go all out on Mother's Day, others may share just a simple card.

But regardless of how it looks in practice, it ought to look like what the Bible commands of us: Honor our parents.