Honoring Parental Relationships

Ephesians 6:1-3
By Harold Dinsmore, M.Div.
© 2007 Harold Dinsmore

            Well, this morning we come to a few verses that cover children and their responsibility to their parents.  Most of us think of this verse as speaking only to the child who is still under the roof of the parent.  Which it does.  However we want to explore the deeper meaning and we will discover how it can help us in our relationships with our parents or grandparents who are still living even though we may have moved out or gotten married and moved out along the way.

            As we begin I want to remind us of something Mark Twain said about parenting.  He is reported to have said that when a child reaches the age of 13 that we should place them in a barrel and seal the top and feed them through the hole in the side.  At age 16 we should seal the hole.  I think that is a little extreme, but it goes to show you the tension that arises between parents and children at times.