Proverbs 23:22-25 (NLT)
22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old. 23 Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment. 24 The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. 25 So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy.

This proverb is a reminder of the commandment, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) Fathers were considered the leaders, the one to guide the family and direct them in the ways of the Lord. Mothers were caregivers who watched over the family. Therefore a child who followed wisdom, discipline and good judgment brought honor to their parents, because it was a reflection of the parent’s lives. And if the parents followed God then the children also become a reflection of God’s character from generation to generation.

As an example of how people are not reflecting God in their lives, in 2001 a prestigious day school in Manhattan’s Upper West Side sent a letter to the homes of the parents of the children in the school. The content of the letter explained Mother’s Day would no longer be celebrated at school. The letter went on to discuss how families were changing and that homes were not always made up of a father and a mother. Now there were homes with 2 dads, 2 moms or just a single mom or dad. Because they felt there were so many different make ups of families, celebrating Mother’s Day might be a bad experience for some children. Somewhere the idea of honoring one’s father and one’s mother was lost in sin. Pray God will strengthen and rebuild families. Pray mothers and fathers will once again take their place of honor. Pray their lives will reflect God and be a reflection in their children.