Question:
I pray, read the Bible, and worship God. However, my parents don’t take our family to church, and I REALLY want them to! My mom keeps saying things like “Maybe next week,” even though she never takes us, and “We’re too busy!” How can I convince them that our family should go?
Answer:
There are two things I want to address here: Respect for parents and showing them when something is important to you.
The most important thing in this situation is respecting your parents. I can tell that you are very passionate about wanting to attend church but God says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you” – Exodus 20:12. This is the first commandment listed after the ones that discuss worshiping God and obeying the Sabbath. That tells us that after honoring Him, God expects us to honor our parents.
Honoring our parents, however, doesn’t mean that we can’t show them when something is important to us. We have to do it respectfully. In light of that, these are the things I would suggest:
Don’t give up!
Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14
Written by Jenn Arman
I pray, read the Bible, and worship God. However, my parents don’t take our family to church, and I REALLY want them to! My mom keeps saying things like “Maybe next week,” even though she never takes us, and “We’re too busy!” How can I convince them that our family should go?
Answer:
There are two things I want to address here: Respect for parents and showing them when something is important to you.
The most important thing in this situation is respecting your parents. I can tell that you are very passionate about wanting to attend church but God says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you” – Exodus 20:12. This is the first commandment listed after the ones that discuss worshiping God and obeying the Sabbath. That tells us that after honoring Him, God expects us to honor our parents.
Honoring our parents, however, doesn’t mean that we can’t show them when something is important to us. We have to do it respectfully. In light of that, these are the things I would suggest:
- Pray for your family. If you already do this, great! If not, start. It makes a huge difference!
- Don’t try to force your entire family to go. You may want to go to church but they may not want to. You can always ask them for a ride, but respect their feelings about attending.
- Give your parent(s) plenty of notice. Parents are really busy and have to plan out their time in advance. The earlier in the week that you ask, the more likely your parents can fit driving to church into their schedule. If they agree to give you a ride Sunday morning, remind them Friday night so that they don’t forget. If they change their minds, don’t get mad.
- Don’t beg. If your parents say no, respect their answer because that is what God wants – He wants us to honor our parents.
- If your parents regularly decline to take you to church, ask them if it’s all right for you to ask a friend who goes to the church you want to attend for a ride.
Don’t give up!
Let all that you do be done in love. – 1 Corinthians 16:14
Written by Jenn Arman
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