They are sinful human beings who make mistakes, just like us. But the fact that they have been placed in authority over us is significant. How we respond to the authority of our parents will influence our response to the authority of God.
truly exists or have we invented and fueled it with our modern lifestyles? More importantly, is this the way it should be?
Malachi 4:6 states,“ And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I( God) come and smite the earth with a curse.” What does the relationship between fathers( or parents) and children have to do with accomplishing peace on earth? It is extremely easy to assume that the‘ generation gap’ is an inevitable phase everyone goes through.
“ Of course they will push me away,” we hear parents say of their teens. But this attitude can, unfortunately, set in motion a self-fulfilling prophecy. With the rise of peer-parenting, young people have begun to confide more in their peers, and barriers have formed between parents and children due to the lack of open communication and the sharing of hearts within the home. We erect these invisible walls day by day that prevent us from obtaining true peace— peace that leads to richer, more fulfilling relationships.
In my early teenage years, I valued my‘ right to privacy’, especially once I was granted permission to go onto social media. All right, I wasn’ t attempting to create a split personality or run away. It just didn’ t occur to me to share my online activity with my parents – it was my business. I wasn’ t doing anything wrong.
WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO? Fortunately for me, however, my mother realized the potential danger in letting a teenager roam online without supervision. I was resistant to the idea of remaining accountable to my parents. It took time to willingly and frequently go to them for advice. But as I learned to communicate openly and listen despite how much I initially disagreed with my parents, I experienced a brand new shift in mindset.
Keeping secrets from them, I realized, ultimately harmed me. I was seeking fulfillment from shallow sources of self-worth and looking to well-intentioned but inexperienced friends for advice. The process of learning to trust my parents was, hard and not devoid of heated arguments. Surrendering personal wants and desires requires humility to admit mistakes and be open to change.
Talking things through with my parents, even on small matters, has helped me grow in wisdom and discernment. It has freed me to understand who they are and who I am as a child under their authority. Had not my parents emphasised the importance of open communication within the household, I would not have been as prepared for future real-life situations that I would ultimately need to face on my own.
I realised creating peace within the home can have implications on the rest of my life, especially my spiritual life. Can our relationships with our parents really be reflective of our relationship with God? To my surprise, I discovered that as I continually learn to die to myself and actively seek out my parents, I learn to become more receptive to God’ s authority because the act of submission is central to the Christian life. Christ moulds us by changing our previous ways of thinking.
Are our parents perfect? Do they always offer the best advice? No. They are sinful human beings who make mistakes, just like us. But the fact that they have been placed in authority over us is significant. How we respond to the authority of our parents will influence our response to the authority of God.
The Bible is filled with verses about the importance of a healthy relationship between parent and child. The Pentateuch, Proverbs, the Epistles, and even the words of Jesus speak volumes about the importance of respecting parental authority.“ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right”( Ephesians 6:1) is certainly not my favorite Bible verse, but the sheer space Scripture dedicates to this issue expresses its importance. Opening up to our parents and putting effort into building relationships help us develop wisdom and clarity while increasing our receptiveness to God’ s guidance.
Learning from our parents’ rich experiences and values ultimately benefits us by helping us build clear beliefs and standards, which are pricelessly valuable in a world of relativism and moral ambiguity.
I believe that we can close the“ generation gap,” no matter how much we have been indoctrinated to treat it as a norm. True peace can reign in the home. Like any worthwhile pursuit, it will not be easy, but it is worth the sacrifice. Returning to Malachi 4:6, peace begins internally with the turning of the hearts of both children and parents toward each other. Such peace comes about not by pushing for our rights of“ privacy” but by a willingness to submit to one another out of reverence for God-given authority. Can we live with peace in our hearts and at peace with God while pushing our parents away, even if we don’ t even noticeably distance ourselves from them? Perhaps we should look at our hearts and ask ourselves: How willing are we really to share our lives with our parents? And if that causes us to hesitate, maybe we should be challenged to take an even closer look at our current ways of thinking.
If Barry the bee had considered this, maybe he would have all that honey back, not only with much more ease but with his parents by his side.
What steps are you willing to take to build true peace— to bridge the gap— starting in the home?
Eliza is a freshman at Asbury University, a Christian liberal arts school in Kentucky, USA. She was previously homeschooled and is currently pursuing her passion for media by majoring in Media Communications. She will turn 18 in April, and her interests include photography, filmmaking, design, biblical worldview, and apologetics. She hopes to combine her zeal for both media and faith by helping others see things from a biblical perspective and persuade them that the Word of God is relevant— even amidst today ' s culture.
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