The power of honor 👪

All of us have read the ten commandments. They are both amazing and frightening. These are not recommendations, these are God’s commandments. Pretty important right? The part that really touches me on an emotional level is “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12, NIV) WoW! It’s called the first commandment with a blessing. If we honor our moms and dads, like we should, life will be good for us. Have you honored your mom and dad?

I have to confess that I didn’t honor my dad for many years. I felt hurt, abandoned, and rejected by him. It seemed like I could never please him. Although I truly wanted his love and approval, I grew to resent and even hate him. That internal hurt, bitterness, and resentment eventually caused me to lapse into drug and alcohol abuse and depression.

In my counseling experience, I’ve discovered unresolved feelings usually cause tremendous damage to the carrier of the offense. In this case, I felt suicidal because of the rejection I felt from my dad and the bitterness that overwhelmed me.

Listen, have you ever felt hurt by your parents? Do you have unresolved anger towards them? Has it caused you to dishonor them? The Bible encourages us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Ephesians 4:31, NIV)

Hey, anger and bitterness will always backfire on you. I encourage you to forgive, release, and let go of the pain. Forgiveness is for you and not for the people that hurt you. 

Honoring your mom and dad is not for their benefit, it’s for yours. Ask God to help you find ways to honor your parents in spite of their behavior or past failures because you are a miracle.

Your friend, Paul Marc Goulet