Our continual focus at Sweeten Life Systems is "A lifetime of great relationships". There is no place that emphasis is more important than in the family. Since our son Timothy and his wife Shelley have just blessed us with a new daughter, Emma Taylor Sweeten, it is appropriate to claim the "Commandment with a promise" that St. Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:
The context to which he speaks is about child rearing and discipline but he throws a bit of a curve here by saying, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord for that is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise." Paul continues and makes sure his readers that are no from a Jewish background will get it by saying, "That it may go well with you and that you may live a long time on the earth."
In this manner he reminds us that discipline and child rearing are not just in one direction from the parents to the child but also extend backward to and through the parents to grand parents, great grand parents and so forth. As a student of family life and child rearing I can not agree more and my agreement comes not just from faith in God and the Bible but also from research and thirty years of teaching, ministry and family counseling.
A few weeks ago I was able to speak at The Horizon Community Church on the topic of "Hidden Family Rules". You can go online and download that talk by clicking the Horizon name. You will find the presentation quite interesting because of the skills of the Horizon planning team. We are using the GodFather Trilogy to show how dysfunctional and even toxic family patterns as well as healthy and godly patterns can be passed from generation to generation.
It is a joy to see Tim and Shelley as they bless their parents by inviting Karen and me to enter in to their generational blessing. Next week Shelley's Mom will be here to further strengthen the multi-generational bond.
Ps I am still honoring my own ancestors and asking God to use that to bless the future generations of Sweetens born and unborn.
Any comments?
2 comments:
I've had a really hard time with that passage because of how dysfunctional my family happens to be. But a few years ago I realized the that idea of honoring my father and mother was very much linked to me seeking God and becoming the woman that He desires me to be. As much as they would never know it or recognize it, I am honoring the two people who brought me into this world by becoming a woman of God. And I do believe that my future generations will be blessed because of it.
:)
Amy,
To honor is not the same as affirming their behavior. You are right about the spiritual and emotional results of following the Bible's commands.
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