“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Yesterday my daughter came over to organize some of the things she had left while staying with me for over five years. She had quite a lot to go through and I took advantage of the opportunity. I went in to help her and we went through some of her elementary school memorabilia. We laughed at some of the things she had written and also at some of the pictures.

She said she had just done the same thing with her dad recently. He had to move from Arkansas to Florida and he was going to do the move by himself. My sweet daughter was not going to let that happen so she drove to Arkansas and helped him move.

When I heard that she helped him I was so happy. That was such a sweet thing for her to do. I told her I was so proud of her for helping him. He is a very hard worker but even a hard worker can use an extra hand.

As I stepped away from that situation, I received wisdom from the Holy Spirit. By applauding my daughter’s love for her dad I had just partnered with God’s word to ensure she lives a long life.

It is difficult to applaud an ex. Believe me, I have not done so throughout most of my years as a single mother but I am learning to put my pride aside and partner with God’s word. When you honor the other parent, you are not only refusing to say negative things against the ex, but according to God’s word you are helping your children attain a long life.

We all want our children to live a long life. The question remains, are you willing to put your hurt on the back burner in order to honor the other parent?