how do you feel about your mother?

your father?

Malachi 4:5-6 (NIV)

⁵ “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. ⁶ He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

Luke 1:11-17 (NIV)

¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³ But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. ¹⁴ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

These two verses were highlighted at church last week. According to God, a sign that a people are ready and prepared for Him is when parents and children’s hearts are turn to each other.

Twice, this is noted.

Once, when God speaks about the work Elijah is going to do before the day of the Lord comes: ‘He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.’

And again, when an angel of the Lord came to prophecy about John’s assignment on earth: ^‘And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’

How do you feel about your mother? and your father? How is your heart posture to them? Turned towards or away?

The Bible places extra emphasis on honoring your mother and father, so much so that it is #5 on the list of ten commandments—with murder being #6.

Parental relationships are quite special because who you are, is literally two people combined. If you’re lucky, they love each other and they love you. But more commonly these days, we are seeing children brought into this world who are made up of two people who do not like each other, and find it hard to like them.

How do you come to terms with being made up of two people, the good, the bad and the ugly?

I know my parents love me, but sometimes my definition of love is not reflected in the ways they show me love. This can happen in many other relationships. However, when there is a command to honor, it can be hard to seek and to maintain that honor.

For many years my heart was hardened. Memories and conversation flashed in my mind like a flipbook. How was I supposed to honor? What does honoring look like? I thought I was honoring them. I honored them last time.

I knew I was maturing in Christ when I started to forgive my parents. Calling my father when I believe he should be the one to call me, apologizing to my mother when I don’t think I was in the wrong. I am seeking to honor and have my heart turned towards them at all times. I am being made ready, a person prepared for the Lord.

---

Journal prompt: What does honoring your mother and father mean to you? What does it look like practically?