01 Aug I [HEART] MUM & DAD – Aug 12

By Dennis Harsono

As a son to obey and honour my parents as God commands, is not easy. Knowing their failures makes it almost impossible, only God and the devil know exactly how many times I’ve failed – I’ve lost count! Thank God, His love and grace never runs out. His Holy Spirit enables me to humble myself and ask for forgiveness.

Our parents are not perfect, neither are we!

We really need to get it in our heads that we are NOT perfect. No matter how good and how righteous we think we are we are not without flaws. Before we point our fingers to our parents, look to ourselves first. More often than not, we break their hearts. We disappoint them – more than we could ever comprehend, until one day we become a parent and the same thing we did to our parents, our children do to us. If you’re at the place where you’re so bitter with your parents, I pray that you may be humble enough to ask for their forgiveness. Understand the heart of our parents.

The majority of parents only want the best for their children and will continue to desire so until the day they die. Their love will not stop just because we think we’ve matured. As smart as we think we are, most of the times we are just a fool. Our young age cannot compare to their wisdom. So if we put these two things together: unending love + wisdom, what does that equal to? Jesus, the perfect Son.

There is no better role model apart from Jesus Christ. You may think since God is His Father, what could Jesus have against Him? As Uncle Ben (Peter Parker’s uncle) said “With great power comes great responsibility” how about if being the Son of God means sacrificing himself, dying a very painful death on the cross – all because His Father longs for an intimate relationship with His sinful, unworthy creations?

So why did Jesus obey? Because He shared His Father’s passion. He too, loves men so much that He was willing to sacrifice Himself. For Jesus doing His Father’s will is a necessity. We all need to eat to live, and according to Jesus “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34 (NIV). In other words, not doing the Father’s will equate to death that’s worse than death on the cross. A spiritual death, a life with no relationship with His heavenly Father.

Our God is so concerned about the relationship between children and parents. The end of the Old Testament is closed with His desire of parents/children restoration. “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6 (NIV)

Let’s imitate Jesus by making the above verse our passion and desire. Consider it as a high importance that we and our parents are in a healthy relationship. Should we choose to ignore it, “total destruction” awaits. Choose wisely.