Blessing the Fathers

At family homegroup a few weeks ago, we asked the Fathers to lay their hands on their children and bless them. We had Dick, our honorary grandpa, explain the importance of the Father's blessing. This week, we felt like it was important for the children to bless the Fathers and Mothers. We asked every person in the room to say a blessing/thanksgiving over their natural parents and their spiritual parents.

Each kid shared something they were thankful for about their parents. Each parent honored their own natural parents, even though their parents weren't in the room. This was a beautiful experience for me. It was sweet to hear the little kids telling their parents thanks for buying them food and loving them. It was endearing to hear adults blessing their parents. We released something important in the Spirit last night at family homegroup. Honoring our Fathers is the first step towards true spiritual freedom.

Next, we gathered around Dick and Diana Salmon and prayed blessings on them. They were a vital part of our church's beginning and we wanted everyone in the room to know how important these two people were in the establishment of our church and how they paved the way for us in the spirit. Thanks Dick and Diana for listening to the Holy Spirit years ago.  Thanks for starting a little church in your home, even when people called you crazy. Thanks for teaching your kids and your grandkids about the Holy Spirit. Because of your faithfulness, I am who I am today.

The last verses of the Old Testament says "I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the Fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their Fathers, or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction." Malachi 4:5-6. I do not presume to fully understand what the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" is and I have no desire to talk about the end of the world, but I do recognize that this Scripture is true in our daily lives as well. God is clear that we must honor our Fathers and Mothers. It's one of His ten commandments, afterall.  

Deuteronomy 5:15-17 says to "honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you." God didn't say honor your parents if they are good at it. It doesn't say you can dishonor your parents if they are total screw ups. What does Deuteronomy say we get if we honor our parents? We get long life, new territory, and the promise of life going well.

So, what is honor? Honor is obedience. Honor is respect. Honor is also to give "kudos" to someone. We are to give our parents credit for what they have done. There is no doubt that obedience changes as you become an adult. I no longer ask my parents for permission to do things, but I do choose to give them the seat of honor in my home. I want to teach my children to speak well of their elders.

The dictionary also suggests that honor means to fulfill, implement, and execute. Each person has a calling and a purpose in life. Children are our inheritance. Children will receive what we have cultivated when we die. I will honor my parents by being the kind of person they raised me to be. My parents are called to lead worship. They are evangelists. They are leaders. They are servants. Each time I portray one of those gifts, I am bringing honor to my parents.

Fathers represent the seed planted in our lives. Mothers represent the protection and carrying of the seed into birth. It is a good thing to bless our parents, even if they have done things that have hurt us. It is God's desire that parents bless their children and children bless their parents. In this mutual act, we "avoid total destruction" Malachi 4:6. Even if you had the worst parents in the world, it is important to bless them, forgive them, and thank them for the things they did right or tried to do right. This act releases something in our hearts. Thanksgiving brings freedom. Honor brings fulfillment.