The Roles Flip
When we are young, we are the concern of our parents. They nurture us and provide for us in numerous ways. They worry about us and can have many sleepless nights because of us. There is no path in our growth that doesn’t concern them.
But, along the way, things change. As our parents age, we begin to do the very thing for them that they did for us. When they become very aged, they depend on their children that they so lovingly cared for, to lovingly care for them.
This is when the ultimate “honor your mother and father” begins to manifest. Their independence becomes dependence. They need their children to protect them and make sure their care is what’s best for them.
I have seen it in my wife, whose mother suffered with dementia for 5 years. My wife and her sister were so tender and loving toward their mother who eventually did not know who they were. I have seen it in many of my brethren here at Campbell Road. They provided endless and tireless care for their mother or father. Also, I have seen it in my friends whose parents may have had cancer, with heart problems or various ailments that deteriorated their lives.
Today, myself and my siblings have the privilege of caring for our parents. It is an honor! It is a joy! They had to uproot their lives of 27 years in Benchley, Texas to come to Dallas to live in a senior care facility. They needed to be closer to three of their four children in the Dallas area. That also meant leaving brethren who they loved so dearly and who also loved them. It means becoming part of a local church of over 400 and be unknown to many. Their lives have always centered around assembling with God’s people. Now, even that is a challenge for them.
As with many others, all of this is hard for them and a concern for us. We want them to be okay. I told my mother recently, “Do you know I love you? Do you know you are precious to me?” She smiled so big and said, “Thank you!” I don’t how many more years or months they have on this earth, but I do know their hope of being with God is certain! While I want them with us, I long for them to have hope fulfilled.
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