Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Did you laugh a little or at least smile wryly when you read today’s verse in light of your past (or present) experiences as a parent? I sure did. Our four children are fun, friendly, decent, and know the Lord (though at various levels of depth and maturity) …but they did not obey their parents in everything. It seemed like on some days, they did not obey us very much at all. Yes, we brought them up to know God and His Word…and we tried to parent them biblically the best we could…but even today, they are far from perfect…and none of us are perfectly obedient.
Our children are 28, 26, 23, and 19 and the older three are out on their own and doing well (Praise God!). For the youngest, there is still some tension now that she is in college, but usually only when she is at home. These are the realities of our present parenting world and while it is a lot easier than it used to be, it still brings with it plenty of challenges (more on that tomorrow). But back to the passage for today: Why does a child’s obedience to parents matter to the Lord? And, why does it matter for the rest of their lives?
As we are seeing in this section of chapter three, God has designed a certain order for the family. When a child grows up respecting and adhering to the parent’s authority, they are acknowledging and respecting God’s order and authority in general. Unruly children generally have an unruly relationship with their ultimate Creator, though that is by no means set in stone. We even see God’s order of authority within the Trinity itself—God the Father, Jesus the son submits to his father, and the Holy Spirit is sent by the Son. So, when a child does not submit to the biblical authority of his parents, he is violating the very nature of God.
It is important for parents to remember that they should not take their child’s occasional rebellion too personally. Our fallen nature tends to lean towards disobedience, whether it be towards a parent, a teacher, a boss, or the Lord himself. And our disobedience tends to lead us into trouble, which is not what our Heavenly Father wants for us…just like we don’t want it for our own children. Obedience to Mom and Dad, unless they are giving sinful commands, will set a child “in the direction they should go” as they grow and mature. Disobedience, beyond childishness, will most likely set them on a course where they will reap the negative consequences of that trajectory. As parents, we should always strive to remind them of these realities.
