Honoring Our Aging Parents
Scripture Reading —
Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
—
Some years ago, as our nearly adult daughter was on the verge of “leaving the nest,” I mentioned something about the fifth commandment’s call for children to obey their parents. She looked me in the eye and asked, “Does the Bible really teach that adult children need to obey their parents?”
That was a great question, and I’ve often thought about it since then. On the one hand, she was right: as children grow into adults, the dynamics of obedience to their parents will change. Yet the instruction for children to honor and respect their parents, regardless of their age, remains at the core of the commandment.
In this section of Proverbs we find the helpful advice to “listen to your father”—and this points to the fact that through experience gained from years of life’s ups and downs, our parents may well have significant wisdom to offer us. We also find here a wise reminder not to dismiss or neglect our aging parents. In fact, for many of us today, caring for aging parents can be one of the most challenging seasons of our lives. Yet as God placed our early care into the hands of our parents, he also places the care of our elderly parents into our hands.
May we strive to do our best to love and honor our parents throughout our entire lives, as God calls us to do.
Father, thank you for the gift of parents. Help us to obey them when we are young, and to honor and respect them throughout our lives. Amen.
About the author — Kurt Selles
Kurt Selles is the former director of ReFrame Ministries and Executive Editor of Today, serving from August 2012 through July 2026. He is a graduate of Calvin College and Seminary, and received his PhD from Vanderbilt University. Before coming to ReFrame, he served 19 years in Taiwan and China with CRC World Missions. Kurt later taught missions at Beeson Divinity School, where he also acted as the director of the school’s Global Center. Kurt and his wife, Vicki, reside in Grand Rapids and have three adult children.
Start your day with quick daily devotions.
See God's love, power, presence, and purpose in your life every day!