Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise
not thy mother when she is old.
Proverbs, Chapter 23, verse 22.
God doesn’t only have advice for parents in the
Bible; He has advice for children, as well.
He wants children to listen to their parents. We aren’t to resent our parents or ignore
them when they get older when they aren’t as convenient to take care of. I don’t think He’s saying we’ve done our bit
to put our parents away in a nursing home somewhere as long as we pay the
bills. I don’t have the perfect answer
but I’ve seen the elderly in nursing homes, starved for attention because they
haven’t seen their children in months or years.
I admired the way my family pitched together to try
to keep my grandfather at home where he felt comfortable as long as they
possibly could. My great-aunt would take
him shopping for groceries. My uncle
would come mow his yard and clean around the house and my aunt would look after
his legal issues that he was oblivious to.
My other uncle took care of his finances. My mother would balance his checkbook, trying
to locate the necessary paperwork. Many
family members were involved, some living closer and some far away. Everyone helped in whichever capacity they
felt able. His aging presented a
situation that seemed to pull the family together.
Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn't necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.
Please click on comments below to share your suggestions. Thanks! Debbie
