Show Mercy to Our Parents

When they do not love us, respecting and loving them means we have a noble heart.

It is rare that a parent would not love her/his child. It goes against nature. There are two categories: real or perceived by the child but not real.

First, let's talk about "perceived by the child but not real"

1. When your parents do things that don't please you, it doesn't mean they don't love you. You should honor them.

When the Bible says that you should honour your father and mother, so that it may be well with you and you may live long (Eph 6:2-3), it is a very powerful promise that every wise child should invoke into his/her life. It did not say that you should honour them only when they do things that please you.

2. Too often, we don’t give them credit for what they do. We need to thank goodness for our parents. Without them we would not be even house broken.

3. No one shows more mercy than parents. We should be grateful because they gave us a roof over our head, food, and clothes even though that is the bare minimum for us to survive. They have to work hard to provide these things for us. Some people say "I didn’t ask to be born." Are you sure that was not your choice? Buddhists would tell you that it was your own choice to be born by your parents you chose. So showing mercy to your parents.

4. The sad fact is that one of the places we struggle the most to show mercy is at home. We are nice to strangers but hard on those who love us most. Does it bother you that often we treat our parents meaner than anyone else? We claim they don't love us, we claim we hate our parents. Is that real?

Second, when it does happen that your parents don't love you

You may think you are loving, but It’s hard to show mercy to your parents who are closest to us.

Here is a test to see how you are doing.

How Merciful Am I to My Parents?

1. When my parents gets some details wrong when they are telling a story, do I

(1) Interrupt them and correct them publically? or

(2) Say nothing and let it go, knowing I've done the same?

When My Spouse or Children Keeps making the same mistake over and over again, do I (1) become bitter and angry? (2) Graciously forgive them and pray for them?

When My Spouse or siblings are getting more attention than I think they deserve, do I (1) feel resentful and feel the need to bring them down a notch? or (2) celebrate with them?

When My Spouse or Children says something I don’t understand, do I (1) assume they have the best motivation for doing it? or (2) Question their motivation and think the worst?

Am I more polite with strangers than my own family?