God has given us 10 kind commandments which are wise moral rules guaranteed to reward all who obey them. [ Psalm 19:11 ] This week we look at rule 5, “Honour thy father and thy mother.” [ Exodus 20:12 ] At first sight this may seem to be directed to children only, but parents should realise that their own behaviour must be such that they deserve to be honoured by their children. The word honour in the Hebrew means to make heavy, meaning to consider parents to be of very weighty importance and therefore to hold them in high esteem and to treat them with great respect and dignity.

Parents can’t expect to be treated with respect if they shout out, “Shut up you little devil!” There’s a saying, “Your child is precious, handle with prayer!” Husbands and wives should read the Bible together and pray for wisdom to know how to politely but firmly teach their children to be courteous and not to forget their pleases and thank yous. This is not always easy as the following story shows. A mother whose little boy was going to a party said, “Don’t forget to say thank you before you leave.” When he returned home Mum asked him whether he’d thanked the lady. “No,” said the boy, “because as we were leaving, the girl in front of me said ‘Thank You’ to the lady who said ‘Don’t mention it,’ so I didn’t!”

It’s been well said, “If you aim at nothing you hit it!” Aim to read good books to children, especially Bible stories. Aim to teach them to say a thank you prayer to God for their food at meal times. Aim to pray over them each night before they go to sleep. Aim to take a keen interest in all their activities and to encourage them with praise. Watch this space!