Aug 16

Exodus 20:12
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Someone told me that when he was very young, his grandfather showed him how to use a hand saw. (That's the one about six inches wide with sharp teeth and no electrical power.) "First," he said, "carefully make a pencil line showing exactly where you want to cut. Then check your measurement again to make sure you marked it right. Measure twice, cut once." He continued, "Make sure the piece of wood you are cutting is on a smooth, steady surface. If it isn't, the wood could shift and throw you off the mark. Then, holding the piece of wood as securely as possible with your knee or hand or both, begin slowly to saw. Start the cut so you have a guide rut for the saw. "And above all, keep your hand away from the saw!" As he said this, he held up his hand; two fingers were half as long as the others, fingers that had been cut off at the knuckle. My friend said his eyes must have widened as he absorbed the message of his grandfather's experience. One of the reasons God gave us parents, grandparents, and guardians is that he wants us to learn from their experience. It may be hard to believe, but your parents used to be kids-a million years ago! They've done a lot of stuff, and they've even made mistakes. Not all their mistakes cost them a finger or two, but they have made your parents a little smarter and wiser than they once were. That's why God commands us to honor our parents or guardians. He knows that their experience has taught them a few things, and he wants us to learn from them, without losing any digits or limbs! But there's another reason God wants us to honor our parents. Like all his commandments, his commandment to honor our parents reveals something about his nature. The fifth commandment reveals that he is a God who values respect. Respect is important to God because it's a part of who he is. It's also important to him because a healthy respect for our parents (and grandparents) can provide for us and protect us, just like the grandfather's bad experience with a saw helped his grandson reach adulthood with all of his fingers intact!

REFLECT: Think back on the instructions and correction a parent has given you in the past couple of days. Have you honored him or her by taking those instructions to heart? How can you honor your parent or parents better in the future?

ACT: Wear a string or draw a line around the middle of one of your fingers today to remind you of the value of honoring your parents or guardians and learning from them.

PRAY: "God, you know it's hard for me to honor my parents when... Help me to remember that they've had experiences I haven't had. And help me to show that I want to honor them by."

okay so i had to sit down and think of what my parents had done to me to help me learn from their experiences. i cannot even keep count of how many times my parents were there to help me. i guess when i make a mistake and my mom complains about it and starts nagging me what i should have done instead, i feel annoyed rather than take her words to heart. it's not exactly like i don't listen to her, but it annoys me more than actually helping me sometimes... :3 but my parents and i get along very well! i share everything with my mom...hehe a mommy's girl!
how i honor my parents is by really listening to their words and trusting in them. i trust that God knows how to use my parents to protect me. God gave us parents and for most of us, we are quite fortunate and have wonderful parents. can you imagine a life without them? God not only made parents to help their children but for children to honor and help their parents. respecting them and trying hard to be good sons and daughters that pray for them, show them our love as our gratitude can make our parents feel honored.
that's all for now! respect your elders (parents)!

when i read these i feel like a kid in vbs LOL
but its a good message i always had trouble respecting my parents decisions and whatnot. Especially with my mom. I find it hard to just abide by what they say, sometimes even though i know its for my own good. i think its just in my nature! but i guess it will be my challenge to try and be more respectful, and honour what my parents have to say.
i also noticed that my parents actually have experience and are speaking from them. and i can see it because i come to the same realizations through my own life and then im like ooooo woops
so yeah. i guess i will try more to honour my parents
night all!

Really straight to the point!
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Show me what it means to be

Anyways.
I don't want to talk about the parents part so much because it's so simple, it's a commandment. Well known, and very straight forward.
What I wanted to talk about how God is a God that values respect. There are many things to respect, such as your parents, God, God's commandments. Even if we don't know it. God respects us ALL the time. How? BY LISTENING TO US.
I mean come on, how disrespectful would it be if you were talking to someone and they were full out not listening.
Respect is a BIG BIG thing anywhere. School, home, church. But most importantly. Respect is the biggest when it comes to God. Out of any other being ever, God is the one who doesn't demand respect, but deserves it.

Cant think of anything that my parents told me in the past couple of days... but some experiences that they shared with me was a big help in my life. When i was younger, i used to get into lots of fights, my parents told me to always stand up for yourself or you'll get stepped on. But they also mentioned to only fight for necessary reasons hahaa. I think thats why im such a tolerent person now! Kevin.. especially with you..
Another thing that they told me was to treat others with respect and care, and they will do the same. Ever since then, although i may punch you or make fun of you, its all out of love and ill always be there for you guys!
I think parents or guardians are messages that are delivered from God through our parents. I think we should listen to the more often and act on what they teach us because it can be God words.
I never really foound it difficult to obey my parents unless it was a very stupid reason, but there is no fighting back.. they always win! I guess i could learn to obey without denying them at first.
i believe elders are also messages from God! so we should respect all elders and what they have to share with you

^LOL

With my parents out for most of the day at work, its extremely hard to spend time and honour them, especially my father.
Recently my father told me that when I fail my life by not working hard academically, he told me not to blame him.
To be honest, I'm sure he didn't mean that, and I think he's trying to intimidate me, telling me to prove him wrong.
Whatever it is, his intentions are to guide me through the right path.
Although I thought to myself, "I'm gonna prove him wrong," I've realized that while honouring your parents, it's for YOUR own good.
Quite possibly, my father might not even give a damn if I prove him wrong or not.
He just doesn't want to see me living my life with sorrow.
Things have an extremely weird way of turning out for the better. And what he told me, will benefit me, no matter how I interpret it.
God tells us to honour our mother and father, as they truly know what is best for us.

Looking at the previous posts, I guess you guys are reflecting on the influences your parents had on you. Rather than doing a reflection on my parents, I'm gonna take the liberty of doing a reflection on my grandmother instead. She played a vital role on moulding who I am and what kind of a person I have become. My grandmother and I barely talked because of our language and age differences but she was one of the people in my life that played a pinnacle role in showing me that actions speak louder than words and also that love in a gift that not a lot of people get. Because she was from the country side of Korea, it wasn't really in her nature to tell people that she loved them but rather expressed it through actions. She did more than enough to show unconditional love towards me and I believe that her kind heartedness really did pass on to me also. I've met people that did not have the honour and privilege of being loved like I have been by my grandmother and I can really see the difference between people who have been loved and people who do not have a clue of what love is and how it feels, it's almost like they're incapable of loving. I thank God to this very day that I have this blessed person in my life and I hope that I get to use this gift to help others to love and also use it for his good.

That's all I guess

Alright well, this reading opened my eyes too.
There are many times that we think we are the only ones who can help us, or that we shouldn't take our parents'/grandparents' advice but that really is just completely ignorant. Who are we to say such things when our parents have lived longer and have probably experienced more. I suppose our times are a little different from theirs but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take what they tell us into consideration. Remember what they've done for us and that they really only want the best.
Part of growing up and maturing is that we tend to form our own opinions and stick to them. Our parents no longer become our main influence or go-to people. It's hard. But it's the truth.

So let's give our parents and grandparents the respect that they deserve.

josephpaik wrote:Cant think of anything that my parents told me in the past couple of days... but some experiences that they shared with me was a big help in my life. When i was younger, i used to get into lots of fights, my parents told me to always stand up for yourself or you'll get stepped on. But they also mentioned to only fight for necessary reasons hahaa. I think thats why im such a tolerent person now! Kevin.. especially with you..
Another thing that they told me was to treat others with respect and care, and they will do the same. Ever since then, although i may punch you or make fun of you, its all out of love and ill always be there for you guys!
I think parents or guardians are messages that are delivered from God through our parents. I think we should listen to the more often and act on what they teach us because it can be God words.
I never really foound it difficult to obey my parents unless it was a very stupid reason, but there is no fighting back.. they always win! I guess i could learn to obey without denying them at first.
i believe elders are also messages from God! so we should respect all elders and what they have to share with you

LOLwhateven.

The second bold section makes perfect sense

doesn't mean it doesn't sound derpy!

duuude.. who cares about grammar... im just free writing..

Without our parents we would have had to learn everything by ourselfs. WE would have no one to help us out when we are in need of help, when we are sttruggling and when we dont know what to do.Our parents already went to school and university so they know what to generally expect. Even tho time has passed, the school system should be similar and our parents can always help us when we dont know. Like it says in the shhort story, our parents have waaaaaaaay more expierence than us. They have lived longer, tthey have kids they know what they are doing and helping us prevent us from making the same mistakes as them.

This one hit home, hard.

Occasionally, -no, frequently, my dad would give random advice and insights on general things, while we're in the car and whatnot. It's somewhat like him trying to force himself somewhat to be a father. It's cool and all, and a lot of the times, the advises are something that's really handy, or something I'd know I'd use in the future. Hardly any times, were they actually helpful on the spot or in the next coming week. Of course there were occasional disputes. Our family has a trait of untimeliness, so whenever anybody overreacted, the other person would just overreact even more, by bringing back something that shouldn't be brought into attention. Yup. No calm person in the house. Occasionally that would be me, but then again, somebody would step out of line and we'd all get angry.

It's up and down. :/ You know, there was that picture, of us getting hit by one stone, and then it shows us complaining, while Jesus turns around and tells us "Sorry, I must have missed that one." while taking on a storm of rocks. Pretty relevant.

But yeah. Our parents are aging, guys. Our grandparents, I would even say dying. So whatever they're trying to tell you, is not just for you, it's for the whole group of predecessors that have not been born yet.
Imagine this; if anybody didn't pass on the word of God after they've received, it would just end on the first generation, right? And that would suck. Bad. Terribad. So yeah, God tells us to be mindful of any insight from elders. So you know, treat it like a good book, treat it like a Bible. Keep it clean, so that the next person can use it.

Honoring your parents is very important. It's one of the comandments in the bible. That's how imortant it is. eversince we were young, we have listened to our parents and obeyed them. As we get older we get more independent. we have matured and gotten wiser but there is so much more we dont know yet. Our parents have experienced and learned much more than us. They're here to protect us point us towards the right direction, help us grow. They try to help us avoid getting into the same problem they got into when they were our age. It improves our daily lives. If they we'nt here, we would go though the same problems. We've learned so much from them and eventhough we get older and start to be more independent, listen and respect your parents.

That is all! I will be posting todays devo later....i have to leave now because i'm running late for a math tutor thingy!
Bye for now!
Aud

actually loving this devo topic

Parents are really good reference for us. They have been there, done that. My parents used to always tell me that they were there so that they could guide me, to make sure I made wise decisions rather than bad ones. More and more as I grow, I realize how much those words hold true. And even as parents, they do explain time to time that even they are still learning as they go, and are even still learning from their own parents. After all, parenting is a sophisticated job. But the point is that some of the best advice comes from parents and elderly people.

Lots of new insight and perspective comes from my dad. In the car and stuff, I might ask a question about something I'm not quite clear about, whether it is in regards to Christianity or not, but every time I do, he answers in ways I might not have thought of before. Times like those really make me feel lucky to have a dad that does that. Best part of being a pk is definitely the ease of clarification. When i don't get something, answers are always there, so that's always great.

Otherwise, mothers' intuitions are always uncanny, but lots of times, they got me out of trouble, or saved me some burden. All in all, this devo made me realize that I need to appreciate the wise words of older folk because truthfully, them advising me won't help them, but it's all too look out for me, so yee