Unconditional Honor Leads to Miracle
“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Ex. 20:12
One of the greatest miracles of my life, and there have been plenty, was when God used two long-time followers of Christ in separate phone calls a few hours apart to share pieces of their testimonies with me that He used to convict my heart mightily and bring me to repentance. The women were at different places in their respective journeys, but God’s message to me was loud and clear – and so was the Biblical lesson that came with it courtesy of His Holy Spirit.
God’s call for us to honor our mothers and fathers, and others, and most importantly Him, is unconditional. We speak of unconditional love, but how often have you heard of unconditional honor? I had not. For decades, I dishonored my parents because I did not know the Lord. After I came to rock solid faith in Christ, I continued to dishonor them. Why? I convinced myself how I treated them should be based on wrongs they had done. In one call some time earlier with one of the women I mentioned, we even managed to twist God’s Word around enough to convince ourselves that honor should be based on the weight, or worth, of the person and his or her actions. How utterly wrong, I discovered!
I had already forgiven my parents for any wrongs done. I knew I loved them. But I clearly showed them no honor. My heart was full of hurt and bitterness. I repented before God that day, sought my mother’s forgiveness, and committed from that day on to honor her and my dad no matter what they had done, didn’t do, or would ever do. My heart became free, joy entered into my being as it never had before, my relationship with the Lord became phenomenal, I discovered a beautiful relationship with my Mom I never would have had, and it became an utter joy for me to honor my parents. And, in so doing, I found, I honor the Lord.
Love. Forgive. Honor. Not based on what the world does. Unconditionally. Based on the Lord! The reward of obeying the Lord is breathtaking, beginning with a closer walk with Him!