Healthy Living - Honor Your Parents; Honor your Children

As a parent, what is your greatest challenge when it comes to your children? Are you still able to honor them in the midst of this challenge? 

If not, what steps could you take to change this? 

Do you have trouble getting your children to obey you? How old are your children? Do you have different expectations from your children depending on their age? One thing we need to remember….even our teenagers still need our guidance, still need to listen to us, still need to obey us.  Teenagers need and want boundaries, guidelines, and rules, even though at times they fight us on these things. 

What is your greatest challenge when it comes to your parents? Are you still able to honor them in the midst of this challenge? If not, what steps could you take to change this?

One very important role of parents is to be God’s representatives in the household, to be the hands and feet and voice and ears of Christ in our families. That means that we expect them to be obedient, as God expects us to be obedient, and yet we love our children unconditionally, even when they are disobedient, as God loves us. Do you find this as challenging as we do? Our only hope here is to look to God for courage, strength, and guidance through prayer. 

Is there something you need to forgive your parents (or a parent) for? What would it take for this to happen? Keep in mind, when we forgive, it isn’t to let the other person off the hook, but to allow us not to be kept prisoner by whatever it is any longer. If you would like to forgive but are having trouble, please seek help through the pastors.