Honouring your parent(s) as a teen or young adult

This is the first of a 3-part series on honouring our parents. If you're still living at home as a young adult or have left home early 'cos you don't get along well with your parents, you might want to stick around to read what God has been teaching me and wants to tell us! This is critical for our times and for the good future we desire to have.

Does not Scripture say about itself that it’s inspired by the Holy Spirit and it's useful for correcting, rebuking, teaching and training the man (woman) of God in righteousness so that s/he will be thoroughly equipped for every good work?

Drum Roll, please… I can’t hear you, louder! …… Ok, ok, that’s enough. If you didn’t clap or drum on your desk, then you chose not to give God the glory. Aaah…Just kidding! :)

A parental rebuke and our recent church bible study on the 10 commandments have stopped me…... Shriieeeeek! Did you hear that? …… in my trucks. Deuteronomy 5:16. I’ve lately found myself falling short of God’s glory in the area of honouring and respecting my parents especially when I disagree with them or when I’m made to feel like a kid. The latter springs forth attitudes and reactions that you’d literally read as, “I’m not a baby, I can do this on my own,” or “Can’t you see that I already know how to do this?” Oftentimes, my non-verbal cues, the rolling eyeballs and my gruffly tone betray me. Aaaah… as a man thinketh so is he.

This has been an all time challenge for teens and young adults living at home. Most teens and young adults at home willl identify with me here. Much older ones, who have moved out, will look back on their hey days when they experienced similar conflicts with their parents. It is not uncommon for African young adults to stay at home for much longer periods than their American and European counterparts. Thus I'm still with my parents and choose to be with them in this season.

In this season, we are looking to establish our independence, identity, status and to navigate the stormy waters of transition to adulthood. Seemingly, we now know how to make decisions and do things. We think we know it all and have figured out how Life works but we really don’t.

LORD, have mercy and forgive us.


To be continued...