So a couple of things happened recently that turned my thinking toward a certain subject, namely showing the proper respect to those who are older.
First my 81-year-old mother fell and broke her hip. After a partial replacement she spent several weeks in rehab. Then I turned 57 years old and realized that my next major birthday is 60.
There are obvious scriptural reasons for honoring our elders.
§ Proverbs 23:22“Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old.”
§ Exodus 20:12“Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
§ Ephesians 6:1-3“Children, obey your parents as you would the Lord because this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.”
§ 1 Timothy 5:8“But if anyone does not provide for his own, that is his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Obviously there comes a day when as grown adults we no longer are under the scriptural admonition the ‘obey’ our parents, but I don’t think the admonition to ‘honor’ them ever expires.
I want to list a few thoughts under two categories: (1) Why respect our elders and (2) Ways to honor them.
Why respect our elders:
1. We reap what we sow – This is a ‘selfish’ motive but is worth mentioning nonetheless. Let’s treat them in a way we would want to be treated at that age.
2. Straight up humanity – We go to great lengths to care for small children because we know in many ways they can’t care for themselves. Often seniors are not able to do certain things and our humanity should cause us to want to help them.
3. Wisdom – Some things are only learned through time and experience and our elders already have both.
4. Because they love us – If they are parents or family they have been there for us as we have grown up. They have walked through valleys with us and celebrated our joys with us. The least we can do is find ways to express love back.
5. Moral values - If you have a sound value system and morals; if you can instinctively tell what is wrong and what is right, thank your elders for teaching you the distinction. The world certainly isn’t teaching proper moral values so you had to have learned it from them.
6. Love - One of the simplest reasons to respect the elders is that we love them. They cared for us when we were sick, cooked for us, talked to us, taught us, and loved us more than life itself. We should reciprocate by loving them! They show us their love by their acts of kindness and care; we show our love by respect.
Ways to honor our elders:
1. Ask for their advice - It’s a shame to think that an elder, with a lifetime of experience, would be overlooked for advice. Seniors have a lot to contribute to society through their life experiences, so seeking counsel from an elder is time well spent.
2. Check in on them- If you live too far from your elderly loved one to see them on a regular basis, pick up the phone and call them. In our busy lives, it’s easy to forget just how much it will mean to a senior if we take time out of our day to say ‘hello.’ Phone calls are a personal way of both saying and showing that you care.
3. Ask questions and listen – In the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to take a World War II veteran and a Korean War veteran to lunch. I simply asked them to tell me about the war and sat back as they told story after story. Hearing “their” story I believe shows respect. Ask yourself when was the last time you asked one of your elders to tell you about what currently or in the past has happened in their life?
4. Time – be it a child or older adult love is spelled the same way: time. Nothing takes the place of spending time with the elderly. There will likely much sooner rather than later come a day when that is no longer an option.
5. Take the time to tell them how much you appreciate them – Even if we demonstrate that we respect our elders through our actions, it’s important to actually tell them how much we appreciate and respect them.
6. Visit them - The world moves at a fast pace and people sometimes forget what’s truly important. Because of this pace of life seniors are sometimes forgotten, but are still very much alive.They want to spend time with us but often are afraid to ask because our pace of life is so much faster than theirs and they don’t want to infringe or inconvenience us.
Question – What are your thoughts? What are some reasons we should respect our elders or ways we can honor them that I haven’t mentioned?
His,
Tom
