Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can choose to love those who we feel don’t deserve it. It comes from the supernatural love of Jesus who died for us even while we were undeserving sinners (Romans 5:8).
Love for a hurtful parent doesn’t come from our own abilities. In Matthew 5:44-47, Jesus asked if you only love the people that love you, then where is your reward? How are you any different than the heathens? The Bible challenges us regularly in this area: Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, turn the other cheek, and so on. The natural tendency is to repay evil for evil and seek retribution.īut the apostle Peter tells us Christians to live “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). It’s not easy to honor someone who has hurt you so deeply. In any case, when you hear the phrase “honor your parents,” your stomach turns just thinking about paying tribute to someone who has treated you with such contempt. Or perhaps there is a history of bitterness and grudges between you and a parent. Maybe you were verbally assaulted and forced to fearfully run and hide. Like this woman, you may have been abandoned or abused. But she faithfully and sincerely obeys the fifth commandment … even if her father didn’t deserve it. She never says much there isn’t much to say. He wasn’t there much, but when he wasn’t drinking, he was a good man … I loved my daddy.” The tears well up in her eyes as she makes her way back down to the pew. One by one, people share their memories, and each year without fail, a frail little woman, looking weary from a hard life, stands.Įveryone patiently watches as she rises slowly and confesses in a tired trembling voice, “My daddy was a drinking man. During these services, the pastor always asks if anyone would like to stand and pay tribute to his or her father. Every Father’s Day I attend church with my parents.
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