Nuggets 73: Mad at Dad?

  • B. Shelburne
  • Jun 15, 2007
  • Series: Nuggets

Many people are trashing their lives at 30 or 50 because they are still kicking at their parents.  Not very smart.  To hate your parent is to hate yourself.  What I mean is, you are hurting yourself more than anyone else.

Being right with parents is so important that it made God’s top ten:  "Honor your father and your mother."  If we have a problem submitting to and honoring our parents, we will have problems with all authorities, even God.  That means a life of trouble.  We will also stumble over the mutual submission marriage requires.  We will not get OK until we resolve our anger toward parents.  We may be surprised how many other spiritual problems disappear when we take care of this root.  As long as you hang on to bitterness, your parent is still controlling your life.

No parents are perfect.  Some are bad, some are evil and abusive.  Yet we owe them a certain respect because they are our parents.  We need to understand two things: 

1. We don't obey parents and other authorities because they are always right, but because they have been placed over us by God.  The principle of respect for authority is right.

2. Forgiving our parents doesn't mean everything they did was OK.  It just means we cancel the debt.  Biblical forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision.  So is respect.  We can decide to treat our parents respectfully and we can follow through.  Some of us may need to go to our parents and get some things resolved, maybe make some apologies and talk about the things that hurt us.  Even if our parents are dead, we can change our attitude toward them and hand our resentments up to God.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long…”  Our attitude toward our parents definitely affects the length and quality of our life here, not to mention our eternal destiny.

Exodus 20:12;  21:17;  Ephesians 6:1-3;  Luke 2:51,52;  Romans 13:1-5;  1 Peter 2:17-25;  Matthew 6:12,14,15;  Mark 11:25;  Matthew 18:15;  5:23,24;  Romans 12:17-21;  Luke 15:11-24

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Copyright 2007 by G.B. Shelburne, III.  May be freely reproduced or forwarded for non-commercial purposes provided content is unchanged and this copyright notice is included.  These shepherding messages are sent to members and friends of New Beginnings Church (www.nbchurch.com), to students and alumni of South Houston Bible Institute (www.shbi.org), and to other interested persons.

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