Tips on How to Honor Your Parents in a Christ-Like Way

The senior years, or the season of the ’60s and beyond, can be challenging due to much uncertainty. Being labeled as senior citizens, retirees, or simply “old” often comes with the feeling of being sidelined or deemed unfit for certain things in life. Growing old isn’t difficult when age is just a number, but it can be painful when it’s used to make people feel irrelevant.

Many people in this age group find themselves mentally active and eager to participate in activities they couldn’t before due to lack of time or other responsibilities. Now that they have time, they want to experience life more fully, catch up on missed opportunities, and do what wasn’t possible before.

Unfortunately, just when they are hungriest for life, they find their strength or stamina is limited. They may feel emotionally vulnerable, susceptible to depression, and disheartened as loneliness sets in. Ill health can trouble them, making them feel life’s unfairness and imbalance. While their hearts and minds may be relaxed, physical infirmities limit their activities and increase their sensitivity to dismay.

Be Thankful For Them and Express Your Gratitude

Parents often sacrifice their comfort to raise their children, putting aside their own dreams to nurture those of their children. Although they don’t regret the sacrifices they made, in their twilight years, they hope for acknowledgment of their worth. They want you to recognize the price they paid in putting you first and the role they played in helping you reach your potential. It’s not just the monetary cost they want you to be conscious of but all that goes into being your parents.

The only return they seek is simple gratitude, expressed in word and deed. Their investment in your life deserves appreciation, both vocal and active. Simple gestures—a card, a note, a call, or a gift—can lift their spirits and make them proud of their past sacrifices. All their pain and hardship seem to vanish with a heartfelt word of appreciation from you.

Be Gracious With Their Present Mistakes and Forgive Their Past Errors

Parents aren’t perfect; they’re people who raised you with limited wisdom and knowledge. If they had difficult childhoods or imperfect parents, they may carry insecurities or faults. Despite these limitations, they did their best for you. In adulthood, their past mistakes may seem magnified, and their current weaknesses may lead to slip-ups that can test their patience.

Remember that they didn’t hold your past mistakes against you; instead, they forgave you, endured your offenses, and sought what was best for you. Return the same favor by forgiving them and not holding their past against them. Ask God to help you forgive and cover the past with His love. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with comfort and love, enabling you to return love for any pain or hurt. Practice graciousness and gentleness, knowing that one day you, too, will go through similar times.

Be Concerned About Their Welfare and Provide For Their Needs

In their younger years, parents had the energy to handle life’s challenges, health struggles, and financial ups and downs. Now, in their later years, even daily chores may feel overwhelming. The Bible reminds us that caring for our household, especially our parents is a Christian duty (1 Timothy 5:8).

Set aside a monthly amount for health expenses, enroll them in a health plan, encourage regular checkups, and monitor their medication or supplement intake. Help them establish a diet and exercise plan to maintain optimal health. Fund their regular outings or even pilgrimages to keep them engaged. Boredom and inactivity are gateways to illness, so encouraging an active life helps them enjoy this season to the fullest.

Be Willing to Spend Time With Them and Listen to Their Advice

At this stage of life, parents deeply appreciate the time and attention of their children. They look forward to hearing from you, sharing small talk, learning about your life, and receiving regular updates on their grandchildren’s lives, which can be like vitamins for their emotional well-being.

Schedule weekly calls with them, especially if you live in different cities. A monthly or yearly visit and quality time spent together can revive their interest in life. Take them on family vacations and include them in a festive celebration once a year so they don’t feel neglected. Involve them in special occasions in your children’s lives, and remember to greet them on birthdays or anniversaries. Listen patiently to their advice, even if it feels intrusive, recognizing that it comes from a place of love. Be as sensitive to their emotional needs as you are to their physical needs, for one impacts the other.

Be Constant in Prayer For Them and Uplift Them Spiritually

Above all, cover them in prayer and intercession so they are protected from spiritual attacks, physical weakness, and illness. Just as they prayed and upheld you through difficult times, return the favor as they age.

If their faith seems to waver, offer encouragement and counsel instead of criticism. Physical weakness may impact their ability to sustain faith as strongly as before, but they know God will carry, sustain, and rescue them as they age (Isaiah 46:4). Your prayers and those of their grandchildren bring comfort and reassurance, strengthening their trust in God.

Honoring Parents is a Lifelong Command

Honoring parents is a directive found in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12), and it applies not only when we are young and under their roof but for a lifetime.

Our parents cared for us when we were helpless, guiding us from infancy to adulthood. May we honor and care for our parents, helping them approach their later years with joy and fulfillment rather than sorrow.