Parents Just Don’t Understand

Before Will  Smith was  “Will Smith the movie star” or “Will Smith the rapper,” he was The Fresh Prince.  I’m goin’ old school:  late 1980’s.  One of his most famous songs was called “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and one of the lines says:

You know parents are the same
No matter time nor place
They don’t understand that us kids
Are going to make some mistakes
So to you other kids all across the land
There’s no need to argue
Parents just don’t understand

Sometimes it seems that way.  Sometimes it feels like parents are overreacting.  It might feel like parents just don’t understand and sometimes they don’t.  In October we talked about relationships with friends.  In November it’s all about relationships with our parents.  We remember that “Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17) but how does this apply to our parents?

The Bible is very specific when it talks about how we should relate to our parents.  God commands us to honor our father and mother.  What does that look like?  How do we honor our parents?  What about when they’re wrong?  What about when they really don’t get it?

The truth of the matter is that honoring and obeying our parents is really about honoring and obeying God.  Even if we feel our parents are wrong, God is never wrong!  We can be assured that obeying and honoring our parents will bring glory to God.

I’m going to tell you a secret that parents don’t want you to know: your parents are not perfect.  In fact, they’re just as imperfect as you are.  That’s why having a right understanding of our relationship with God is so important!  We’re not perfect.  We deserve nothing but punishment and anger from God but what does he give us?  Even though we deserve it he gives us love, patience, and forgiveness.  What does that say about how we should treat other people?  Even our parents?

Does this mean that we’ll behave perfectly or that our parents won’t ever be mad at us?  No—my mom still gets mad at me!  What it does mean is that when we know what it feels like to have God spare us from his tremendous anger we’ll know what it feels like to spare others from our own anger.

Just another one of EVERYTHING in life that’s really about God!