Honor Thy Father: It's a Commandment, not an Option

The Family Reunion

I remember the day like it was yesterday. We were in Dallas for a family reunion. A family reunion gone all wrong. Let's just say there were too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

It was July 1996, a few months after the death of my mother. My mother's passing had put me in contact with family members I hadn't seen or talked to much since I'd graduated high school, so I was excited about reconnecting.

My estranged husband arrived the day before me and the kids, so my father picked him up from the airport. I felt really awkward because he was living with another woman (his soon-to-be wife), and I knew we were going to be bunking together (yes, sharing the same bed) since my family wasn't aware of the pending divorce or his cohabitation conundrum.

I got through the first day by listening to my daddy fondly recall the time my ex had sent me $60 to buy maternity clothes when I was pregnant with my first child and still living at home. Sadly, more than a decade had passed since that time, and that's the only recollection my father had of him.

No respect

The following morning my stepmother knocked on our bedroom door to tell my husband that he had a phone call. It was his girlfriend. Yes, she had called my daddy's house, and I was livid because my father didn't seem to see anything wrong with this. When I got downstairs, my father and his wife, along with my stepbrothers and stepsisters were sitting in the living room laughing it up and having a good time. And I guess I was suppose to go through the next two days living a lie by pretending to be a happy little family with a man who clearly had no respect for me...OR THEM.

I refused! I packed the suitcases, piled the kids in the car, and headed north.

The Turning Point

My aunt called soon after we got on the road, so we stopped at her place. The so-called family reunion was such a debacle that my daddy and his sidekick ended up at my aunt's house too. It was a turning point in my life. I looked at them as they sat in the wing chairs that were positioned on either side of my aunt's fireplace, and I thought, here sits two men who should have provided and cared for me, and both of them had failed miserably. It was at that point that I decided that they don't owe me anything. I was no longer bitter. I was no longer resentful. And since neither of them had ever made a fuss over me, I learned how to make a fuss over myself.

They didn't owe me anything, but I did owe it to myself to set the standard for what I wanted in a mate. I decided that the next relationship I had would be based on truth, and not a lie.

Don't Block Your Blessings

People often ask me how I can speak so highly of a man who fell short as a father. Well, it's simple, I love him. 1 Corinthians 13:5 teaches us that love does not demand its own way, and it doesn't keep a record of any wrongs. I didn't keep score of the times my father wasn't there for me. All those childhood memories of what my he didn't do have been tossed into the sea of forgetfulness, and that opens me open to be a whole, healed, healthy woman.

Furthermore, I don't want to block my blessings. "Honor Thy Father..." is a commandment, not a option (Exodus 20:12). God didn't specify that I should honor my father based on what he did or didn't do for me. By choosing to be obedient to God's word, I open myself up for Him to operate exceedingly abundantly in my life.

I'm Lisa Maria Carroll, reminding you to take the brakes off God, and watch Him do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think.

What Is Your Market Value?

Can I share a secret with you? I LOVE to shop. So much so, that whenever I travel, I usually carry an empty suitcase and include a trip to the mall on my itinerary. One rule I always try to keep in mind is never pay full price, because everything is negotiable and eventually goes on sale.

Recently while shopping at a high-end department store in Atlanta I noticed the store was offering an additional twenty-percent off the lowest markdown price on items that were on the clearance racks in the aisles. In true Lisa fashion, I quickly scoured those racks, looking for a great deal. But as I checked the racks for my size, I couldn't help but notice the clothes I was walking on that were carelessly scattered on the floor. Those clothes were originally priced from $100 and up, and were now on the floor being walked on and kicked around by shoppers like cheap, thrift store merchandise. I’m sure they were handled meticulously and treated with great care when they were selling at full price. But the lower selling price had somehow cheapened their value, and shoppers changed how they perceived them.

That’s the same thing that happens to us. The higher the value we place on ourselves, the better people treat us. A high sense of self-worth also results in healthy relationships.

On the other hand, there are events in life--divorce, job loss--that can knock us down and make us feel like those clothes on the floor: WORTHLESS. And when we don't feel worthy of love and respect, we tolerate being kicked around. But we're all priceless, no matter what happens to us. Even when we're down, we're not out. We must not allow ourselves to feel cheapened if our net worth decreases due to the loss of a house, car or job.

A few years ago I attended a lecture that began with the leader holding up a $20 dollar bill, and asking:

Who wants this 20 dollar bill?

Several hands went up, but the lecturer said: Before handing it over, there’s something I must do. He furiously crushed it, and asked again:
Who still wants this bill?

The hands continued raised. And what if I do this? He threw it against the wall, letting it fall to the floor, kicked it, stamped on it and again held up the bill, all dirty and crumpled.

He repeated the question, and the hands continued to be held high. "You must not ever forget this scene," said the lecturer. "No matter what I do with this money, it’ll still be a $20 dollar bill. Many times in our lives, we are crushed, stamped on, kicked, maltreated, offended; however, in spite of this, we are still worth the same."

As we must continue to trudge ahead in this economy, we must continue to look inward to define our true market value. No matter how crushed we are, we are still worth the same.

I am Lisa Maria Carroll, reminding you to take the brakes off God, and watch Him do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think.