Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Ephesians 6:1-4, NKJV
I’m taking four weeks to really dig-in to this verse. Let’s break it up into four parts/weeks.
- Children
- Obey your parents
- In the Lord
- For this is right
(You’re catching me on week two so if you’d like to go back to last week’s reading, you can read about the first point.)
OBEY YOUR PARENTS
Who really likes being told what to do? Is it just children who struggle obeying authority? Well surprise, surprise… most adults don’t like it either. In fact, it’s kind of a basic human tendency… we want to make our own decisions, how and when we wish. But that adult responsibility isn’t given to growing children instantly or lightly. If you imagine a baby, the parents get to decide what and when it eats, what it will wear, what it’s name will be, where it will go, where it will live, parents will choose early activities, when it’s time to go to the park and when it’s time to leave. Babies don’t get much say in anything.
Children, including young adults, are under the authority of their parents. The quicker they learn to obey their parents, the stronger those muscles get and obedience will eventually become easier and easier. But obeying our earthly parents is only the beginning really. Consider it a training ground for learning how to obey our Heavenly Father as well. We’re not just our parents children, but we are also children of God.
As a person ages, obedience to authority can become more optional in some people’s minds. But let us not forget the lessons of our youth, that disobedience comes with consequences and most of the time they are not very pleasant.
Parents raise your children to obey. Communicate the standards, rules and lines to not cross. They must know where the target is. And when they miss, make sure you do everything you can to help them learn their lessons swiftly so they are less likely to repeat the mistake. Followthrough is key here moms and dads! If you say there will be a specific consequence, for pete’s sake, followthrough. Otherwise, you are doing a disservice to your children by showing them that consequences are pliable and obedience is optional which will not serve them well as adolescents and adults.
Next week, we’ll look at the next segment “in the Lord”.