GrandPause: Honor your parents because God said so—no matter what age you are. –James MacDonald

If we take the Bible seriously (you do, right?), then we know that finding a way to honor our parents, no matter who they have been, no matter what they have done, is a very significant action. I’m serious. The Bible is filled with stories of people who honored their parents and succeeded and of those who did not honor their parents and failed. If you’re alive, you’ve got parents (even if they are no longer living)—and God’s command is to honor them (see Exodus 20:12).

These words from James MacDonald, pastor of Chicago’s Harvest Bible Chapel, are important words for us to hear as grandparents. When Father’s Day comes around, do we think about our own fathers and our responsibility to honor them? What example and message do we send to our grandchildren by the manner in which we treat or speak of our own fathers?

My father (and mother) is still living. Dad is 90 and in pretty good health. It is not a difficult choice for me to honor my father because he has made such an important impact in my life. He is still a man I delight in honoring. But for some of you, that is not the case. Your father may have passed away long ago, or perhaps he’s still alive but there is a great deal of pain and personal hurt when you think about him. So, how does God expect us to fulfill this command to honor our fathers at this stage of life?

I hope you will read the rest of Pastor MacDonald’s blog on this topic. Perhaps this Father’s Day will be a turning point for you and your relationship with your own father. Click the link to read the rest of Never Too Old To Honor Your Parents. And may this Father’s Day be time of blessing for all you grandfathers who are reading this today, and may you in turn be a powerful conduit of blessing in the lives of your family, including your own father.

Link to Never Too Old to Honor Your Parents