Children, obey your
parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is
the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that
you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your
children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
In three straight paragraphs at the end of chapter 5 and beginning
of chapter 6, Paul captures the need for balance in our relationships. Balance
between husband and wife, child and parent, slave and master. In each of those
relationships, Paul keys on the fact that there must be equal commitment between
the parties in order for there to be peace. Wives are to submit to husbands and
husbands are to love wives as Christ loves the church. Children are to honor
and obey their parents, while parents are to love and avoid exasperating their children.
Slaves (employees) are to work honorable for their masters (employers), while masters are to treat
their slaves ethically and righteously. Both members of the relationship must
give…you cannot have one consumer and one provider for the relationship to work
properly. If one side always takes and consumes while the other side is forced
to always give and provide, eventually the relationship falls apart. Seeking
balance is not an easy task, in fact, at times it seems downright impossible as
we are driven by our own selfish desires. It’s like we are somehow programmed
in a broken manner to seek self-preservation and self-promotion above all else.
And when we do, we are left scratching our heads at the destruction that we
have invited into our lives. Thankfully, despite our foolish behavior, we are
not left to figure things out on our own. Thankfully God invites us through the
Spirit to seek his wisdom…his knowledge…his strength, love, and patience…to seek,
through Him, that prescribed balance in our relationships. Christ provided the
perfect example of selfless sacrifice for us. We can’t possible achieve that
same perfect level of sacrifice in our own lives, but we can most certainly work
to reflect a portion of it in our relationships. The next time we interact with
a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend or colleague, may we pause to consider
whether or not we are doing our part in balancing the equation. Are we
speaking, acting, and thinking in love…or are we putting ourselves above another?
May we seek to serve as Christ served, love as Christ loved, and allow God’s
wisdom and love to fill our relationships with one another. To God alone be the
glory!
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