Proverbs 30:17

The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be picked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.

Hopefully, you are not eating your breakfast while reading this graphic verse from Proverbs today! The Lord really does not like it when parents are dishonored, and the penalty can be quite violent.  Disrespect for one’s parents is not a recent discovery. Proverbs addressed this on a number of occasions. Remember, Proverbs were written by Solomon to his own son.

There is a tendency for children, both young and adults, to denigrate their parents. This may surface when a parent, truly bewildered by technology, asks for what may seem like the thousandth time about how the peculiarities of their cell phones, Facebook, or emails work. It can also be tempting to disrespect your parents when they are not Christians. It becomes almost too easy in that scenario to pick at their faults and mock them.

It is the adult child who never grows out of youthful rebellion that is most troubling. They, by now, should be learning lessons from the trials of life and out of humility begin to appreciate their parents more than ever. They should be identifying with their parents as fellow sinners in constant need of grace.

Assuming you were not abused by your parents as a child, honor your parents. Thank them for the way they raised you and what they taught you. This can have a profound impact even on parents who aren’t Christians. Family dynamics can make this a very hard prospect, but by God’s grace begin to break down those walls, and, in the process, rebuild relationships even planting seeds of the gospel perhaps for the first time in your parent’s lives.