As finite beings inhabiting time and space, our survival has been dependent on a particular ritual. Animals perform this ritual instinctively, but for other beings with superior cognitive abilities such as humans, we find that we can exercise some choice in the matter. The ritual in questions is none other than the one involving the passing of one’s characteristics, traits and values through to the next generation, parenting. Parenting typically begins with the act of reproduction and continues indefinitely. Much like the lion, who for example, gives birth to cubs, ensure their survival, and teach them the ways of the hunt, so is it for humans vis-à-vis their offspring. It is on this basic principle of survival, and in the case of humans, thriving, that all societies throughout time have observed the staple of “honoring your father and mother.” But what does it mean to honor your parents?
“Parents, in essence, serve as the template by which we perceive and interact with God.”
The dictionary describes Honor as “holding in high respect; or to accept as valid and conform to the request or demands of.” The benefits of honor towards parents are obvious when observing animals in nature. Regardless of their positions in what we call “the food chain”, all children, or newborns, if they are to survive against the various threats of life, must rely on the protection and wisdom of their parents. Those who stray from their parents, much to their detriment, often meet deadly ends. As in nature, human newborns depends entirely on their parents for survival, and when they are of an age where they can provide for their own nourishment, their future survival is often dependent not on food, water and shelter, but on the wisdom on how to navigate through life’s many potential pitfalls. While these concepts may be obvious to most, it is another that I offer on this day. As humans, I believe that the ultimate role of parents, knowingly or otherwise, is to prepare their offspring for living a life in concert with their true Father, God. Parents, in essence, serve as the template by which we perceive and interact with God.
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