Getting the Balance right

Ephesians 6
1. Children, obey your parents; this is the right thing to do because God has placed them in authority over you.
2. Honor your father and mother. This is the first of God's Ten Commandments that ends with a promise.
3. And this is the promise: that if you honor your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessing.
4. And now a word to you parents. Don't keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful.
Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves, with suggestions and godly advice.
Living Bible

Verse 1 of Ephesians chapter 6 is addressed to children, particularly those under the age of 18, who are still living at home and being provided for by their parents.

If you are above 18 in age, but still are provided for by your parents, this verse applies to you still. After all, it's only fair that whoever pays the bills, makes the rules.

The mark of being an adult is that you can provide for yourself and live successfully on your own. If you're not doing these things, you are still a child, no matter your age.

Verse 2 of Ephesians chapter 6 is a command to all people - no matter your age - whose parents are alive. (Of course, parents can be your biological parents, and/or the people who parented you when your parents were unavailable.) To honour means to show the utmost respect towards someone and to care for them with diligence.

God has given us an incentive to do this, because He knows sometimes it can be difficult. He says that if we will honour them all through their lives, He will make sure that we have a long fulfilling life, full of blessing.

So are you honouring your parents and thus allowing God to give you a long fulfilling life, full of blessing?

Then the apostle moves on to the attitudes of parents.
He advises here that parents check the content of their conversations with each of their children against the backdrop of scolding and nagging.

This does cause children to be angry and resentful, but more than that is this:
Parents are supposed to reflect God to their children and if children are constantly scolded and nagged, they grow up thinking that God is like that too.

Remember Moses:
he was forbidden by God from entering the Promised Land because he misrepresented God to the children of Israel.
It is not wise to put God in the position of having to forbid to you, blessings He would like to give you, because you misrepresented Him to your children by constantly scolding and nagging them.

Prayer:
Father, help me today to begin getting my attitudes to my parents/children right.
Father forgive me where I have misrepresented You to others.
Lord, I want to be like You and to relate to others in a helpful and wholesome way,
in Jesus' name,
Amen.