Friday, September 27, 2013 -- Honouring Our Parents -- God, Our Father

Life in addiction is an expression of the breakdown of honour and respect in relationships that God created us to experience and enjoy.  At our conception, God gifted us to our parents and, in that relationship, planned for us to be nurtured by them and safely develop lives of loving relationship with others.  As we seek to enter into the life God intends for us today, it’s important that we look at our family of origin, particularly our parents, to understand how to live life in recovery within God’s plan. 

Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God will give you.  (Exodus 20:12 NLT)

Included in the “Ten Commandments” – basic principles for living God gave to His people -- is the command to honour our parents.  Interestingly, it is the only one of the Ten Commandments to which God also attaches a promise – we will live a long and full life.  Who of us doesn’t want that?  As adults, does honouring our parents actually impact our quality of life today?  Some of us grew up with parents who loved and cared for us.  Others experienced just the opposite.  If our parents were harsh or abusive toward us, how can we honour them anyway? 

God has shown us how children and parents are meant to relate to each other through the earthly life of His son.  Jesus referred to God as Father, as Abba (Daddy) and obeyed him with steadfast trust. Jesus respected, consulted, and was obedient to His father in everything he did.  But I do nothing without consulting the Father. I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely just, because it is according to the will of God who sent me; it is not merely my own.  (John 5:30 NLT)  Even on the cross, when everything in Jesus’ life was most difficult, Jesus entrusted His life to the love of His Father.   Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.  (Luke 23:46 NLT)

God, our loving Heavenly Father, wants us to enter into a trusting relationship with Him, demonstrated by our willingness and obedience to do His will and serve Him with all that we are.  At times it will all make sense and at other times not.  But, we can trust His loving heart and loving purposes for us.  We can rely on God to be lovingly involved in watching and helping us every day of our lives when we follow His will.

©2013 Partners in Hope