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Chances are that churches all over the country, including yours, had the same topic today, Mother’s Day. Prior to a sermon about Mothers, the senior pastor called all of the children to the front of the church to have a talk with them. It was sort of an informal Bible lesson, where he explained to the children why they needed to obey their parents. He told the children that while they made many decisions everyday, some were not the right choices. He elaborated that while they were acquiring more knowledge everyday, they still lacked the experience required to make some decisions. That is why God gave them parents, with years of experience, to help them make the right choices. Then he gave the children an example from his own childhood that made them all laugh.
Verses the pastor referenced for the children.
Ephesians 6:1-2 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother— which is the first commandment with a promise—(NIV)
Proverbs 15:20 A wise son makes his father happy, but a foolish son disrespects (grieves-KJV) his mother. (NIV)
Is it wise to seek advice and counsel from those who have knowledge and experience before making important decisions?8
Proverbs 1:9 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. (NIV)
The pastor told the children that he and a friend had decided to make their own parachutes out of bed sheets after watching a World War 2 Airborne movie. They took turns jumping off the roof even though the sheets didn’t work like a parachute the first time. Finally, having gained the experience, they decided to test their future parachutes with sandbags instead of their bodies. It was an analogy the children could relate to, and he got his point across.
It is difficult enough to elicit respect from children you have raised from birth especially once they become teenagers. It can be impossible to receive it from a child adopted at an older age, one who experienced trauma, or who was exposed to substance abuse while in the uterus. My children heard the words, but most lacked the understanding to know what he meant.
Almost daily, we remind our daughters to answer us in a voice we can hear. They continue to lie about finishing their schoolwork, household chores, and other little things like putting their laundry away. I have been trying very hard the past two weeks to give reminders in a gentler tone of voice. Also, instead of a reprimand, I have been giving suggestions. Here is one that I am trying. “If you didn’t feel like finishing your schoolwork today you could have come to me and said, ‘Mom, could I take the day off from history.’”
Photo Credit: 2008 Julia Fuller.
