Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother
by Larry Fuller
Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother
by Larry Fuller
"Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
Deuteronomy 5:16
One morning I was walking near my father's workshop, and he motioned for me to come and observe what was about to take place. A mother bird had been caring for her young and was instructing a little bird on flying for the first time. She flew from the nest to a nearby limb and back a couple of times as if to say, "This is how it is done." After the demonstration it was time for
the little bird to give it a try. It perched itself upon the edge of the nest and began to flap its wings. It gave it everything it had, but it missed the limb and landed down in the thicket.
There was considerable commotion and concern that followed, but fortunately no cats nearby, and the little bird was able to finally master the art of flying.
This little bird was fortunate to have a good parent to provide it this lifesaving instruction and to stay with it during this difficult time of learning. It listened to the parental instruction carefully, and in spite of everything still made its mistake. It must have been reluctant to chance this big move out of a comfortable nest where food was brought to it and comfort abounded. It must have been quite fearful and worried about making a mistake like it ultimately made.
By following the careful instructions, under the guidance of its mother, it acquired the ultimate skills that would last it a lifetime. Life is made of lots of challenges and thickets, but it is a beautiful thing to observe when parents and children work together to overcome the obstacles.