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Mar 09, 2026 06:00am

Honoring Parents Isn’t Just for Kids—It’s for Life

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“The truck wouldn’t make it,” my mom said.

My parents had called to wish me a happy birthday, and they were filling me in on their day. We had a big snow event, and where my mom lives, it was about eight to ten inches of snow with even more ice on top of it.

My mom goes to my grandmother’s house every morning and every evening—sometimes during the day if needed. So, if the truck couldn’t make it…

“So, how did you get there?” I asked, now a little worried and curious.

I could hear my stepdad’s voice through the speakerphone. “She walked. A mile and a half through that snow and ice!”

My mom jumped in quickly. “I’m fine. It wasn’t that bad. I needed the walk.”

I seriously doubt that. It’s very rare to call my mom and find her not busy. And almost never would you find her relaxing.

“Sorry, I’m at the pharmacy picking up meds.”

Or,

“I just finished at Casey’s, and I’ve got to run by the store to pick up chicken feed and cat food for down at Mom’s.”

“I just finished at Mom and Rex’s. It took a little longer tonight, but I got it done.”

My mom has been caring for my grandparents for a while now. And as time passes and the effects of aging continue, more and more is required to care for them.

My mom is exhausted.

She takes care of them and their animals every morning, works all day, runs errands to get what they need, and then cares for them again in the evening. Most nights, it’s well after dark before she makes it to her own house.

We offer to help, but she insists she’s fine.

So why? Why does she keep doing it?

Because they are her parents.

Ephesians 6:1–4

“Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. ‘Honor your father and mother.’ This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

The Scripture here uses two action words—two commands God gives us.

The first is to obey our parents. This means doing what they tell us to do. This primarily applies while we are under their care, before we move out on our own and begin our own lives. But the other word—honor—is something we do for a lifetime. Our respect for them should be never-ending.

Through doctor’s appointments, tough diagnoses, endless care, and repeated trips to town, she’s by their side.

She’s one of the hardest-working and kindest people you’ll ever meet. If she has it and you need it, it’s yours. Even through the toughest storms, she has a smile on her face and says, “It’s going to be fine.”

What an example she is. We need more children like my mom—children who respect their parents, love them, and care for them.

Listen, I don’t know what your relationship with your parents looks like. It could be damaged, full of pain and regret, or shaped by years of hurt that still feel fresh. I want to encourage you today: if there’s an opportunity to offer forgiveness or to ask for it, do it today. Don’t wait.

And if you can’t get to that place—if the hurt feels too deep—go to your Father in heaven and ask Him to help you. And do it every day.

The book of Ephesians was written to believers. What’s written on those pages are words for us to live by as followers of Christ. Paul says that if Jesus is in us, this is how we should live.

So—is He?

If you are a follower of Christ, are you walking in His way? Or your own?

No matter where you are, how far you’ve wandered, or what you’ve done in the past, Jesus is still just one step away. You simply turn around—turn away from your way—and there He is, with open, waiting, loving, outstretched arms ready to embrace you in the best Father hug imaginable.

Let me show you more about what it means to follow Him. Go to follow.lifeword.org. These short videos will help you learn more about who Jesus is and what it looks like to walk with Him every day.

Life is too short.

Examine your heart today.