Exodus chapter 20:12 Part 2.
“Honor your father and mother that your days may be prolonged….”
Commitment #5:
Yesterday we talked about the word HONOR and today I want to talk about the word “PROLONGED.” The Hebrew word for prolonged is “arak.” It means to lengthen, draw out, or prolong. Used literally it describes the growth of branches or the lengthening of one’s cords.
So what does honoring one’s parents have to do with prolonging one’s life or growing, not branches, but our days on Earth.
So I asked myself what would cause days to be shortened because of a relationship? Anger, Unforgiveness, Bitterness, or Hatredness are keywords that add stress in relationship. If you truly honor your parents then anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, and hatredness can’t survive.
To dishonor your parents just allow these four words to fester in your mind and heart resulting in added stress. Stress is a key factor in affecting one’s emotions and physical problems. It literally can cause high blood pressure which affects the heart, it can cause depression which can result in eating disorders, stomach issues, insomnia, headaches, etc. All such stresses affects the heart which affects the longevity of one’s life.
To be actively honoring one’s parents just allows yourself to be free from the stresses and free from the emotional and physical effects of stress in one’s life. So to honor your parents can literally result in one’s life being prolonged.
If I can make this comparison:
It’s like choosing not to smoke. You smoke, it affects the life of your body. If you dishonor your parents, it affects the life of your body. If you take good care of your body, you live longer. If you honor your parents, you live longer.
These are just some thoughts but I feel they are worth considering.
Thank you and tell your parents you love them today.
