Families

24 Nov

“Respect your parents. What they tell you is true. Hard work, dedication and faith will get you anything. Imagination will drive itself. You can get anything you want, but you have to have faith behind all your ideas. Stick to your goals and have an undying faith.”
~ Russell Simmons

Today, my mother would have been 97 years old.  She passed away at the age of 74.  Her birthday gives me pause to reflect upon the role of parents.  As I do, though, I also think about the relationship between child and parent.

When children are growing up, parents are the best thing in the world.  We love and admire them so much.  We say that we want to be just like them.  Our parents give us everything that we need and watch over us as well as protect us.  However, as we enter our teen years, we begin to assert our own independence.  We no longer want to be around our parents.  We think that whatever they tell us is wrong.  We do the opposite of what they say.  We give them a lot of heartache.

As we grow older, we begin to return to our senses.  As someone once said, “The older we get, the smarter our parents become.”  We begin to realize that our parents were, indeed, correct.  They knew what they were talking about.  They knew what was best for us.  They really did want nothing but the best for us.

As I see families struggle, I always pray that they get to the point in their lives where they love and respect one another.  Sometimes, families go through some rather rough times — sometimes many years — before that happens.  But, with enough grace from God, that time can come about.

Families can be wonderful.  Families can cause heartache.  Families can make us feel good about ourselves.  Families can challenge us.  In all things, though, families are important to us and for us and we need to do everything possible to make our families strong.  We will not have the members of our families for all time here on earth.  We will lose members of our families one day.  That is why it is important to cherish one another while we have one another.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray for all families, that children and parents respect and love one another and that parents give their children wonderful example by which to live.