Honor Your Parents???Примерок

Ruth was completely selfless in her love toward her mother-in-law.

Naomi didn’t exactly make the most pleasant traveling companion or easiest housemate. Understandably so - she had suffered unimaginable loss. We hear Naomi telling the townsfolk in Bethlehem:  “Don’t call me Naomi.” Instead, she tells them: “Call me Mara (which means bitter) because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.” 

Naomi was going through a season of pain and, perhaps, anger. Maybe, if she were alive today she would have been diagnosed as having depression. 

But Ruth sticks with her despite Naomi’s fragile emotional state, despite the fact that living with Naomi wasn’t easy. 

Relating to parents is, oftentimes, hard work because parents, like us, are works in progress. From 13 years of being a mom myself, I know that this parenting gig is not a walk in the park! After many an unreasonable momplosion (read: mommy explosion), I’ve wondered if I’ve scarred my progeny for life.

Parents are far from perfect. As a parent myself, I now better understand the previous generation who raised their children before the word “parent” became a verb in blog posts. 

Can we show our parents grace, because we’ve received grace as undeserving as we are? Can we choose forgiveness because we’ve been forgiven of much ourselves? Can we remember that parents are works in progress, too?

We can’t do this on our own and so we pray:

Father God, Give me the grace to extend grace to my parents. Help me remember that, like me, they are imperfect people loved by a Perfect God. Amen