Are you close to your parents? Do you still spend time and value them? How much do you make your parents happy? Do you think it is worthy of returning the love and care you have as their children? The Bible has something to say about this.

Indeed, it is true that we would not exist if the Lord did not use our parents, especially our mothers, as instruments to bring us into this world. Each individual has different types of parents, thus it is not appropriate to compare them with others.

You see, before I came to know the Lord, I was not close to my parents. Sometimes, I would disregard them and I was more accustomed to being with my grandparents. I grew up with them while my parents worked to support us. I even thought that my grandmother was my mother, so when I was introduced to my real mother, I did not believe it right away. I was still young at that time, but I clearly remember that I often did not want to go with her. I particularly disliked Saturdays because she would visit me at my grandparents' house. I really wasn't comfortable being with them back then.

When I started studying nursing in Manila, I lived with my parents. At first, I did not pay much attention to them. However, my mother is very kind, and as time went on, I grew closer to her. Eventually, I started working. My mother is sweet because she always waits for me to come home, even when I have an evening shift, just to listen to my stories about what happened at work and the different types of patients I handled. For me, she became my source of comfort every time I felt exhausted; I knew I would come home and find my mother at the door waiting for me.

My mother is extremely patient, and because of her character, I did not notice the changes in her physical condition. I failed to observe that she was constantly weak and vomiting. I thought she was just losing weight because we were struggling at that time. I was unaware that she had already undergone a blood test and had not shown us the results. I only learned about this when my husband mentioned it to me and I discovered that her creatinine levels were extremely high, necessitating emergency dialysis. I was very scared at that moment; I thought I was going to lose my mother because I could see her extreme weakness. 

I felt like a failure both as a daughter and a nurse because I had not properly cared for her or noticed the changes in her health. I blamed myself. 

My mother was diagnosed with Stage 5 Chronic Kidney Disease. Given the high cost of dialysis here in the Philippines, I decided to work abroad for my mother. It is only my sibling and I who are working now, as my father has stopped working overseas due to his difficulties. Therefore, I chose to make sacrifices for my mother. Even though I do not want to work abroad and leave my spouse here in the Philippines, I endured it for my mother.

My mother frequently goes in and out of the hospital, but since I have been earning reasonably well, I am able to provide for the expenses. It has been quite some time since I resigned to establish our own family with my spouse. Currently, my mother has been hospitalized again, which coincides with the issues my spouse and I are facing due to our business. It is incredibly challenging because I cannot offer any assistance as we are already deep in debt due to the deception of our former business partner. 

However, due to the Lord's immense goodness, He continues to provide for my mother. Many times, the Lord has demonstrated to my mother how powerful He is, and through Him, my mother finds hope.

I always think about the times when I would always say no to my parents. Times when I didn’t take care of them or value them when I was younger. It makes me sad to think that those moments were wasted, and I also feel sad about what’s happening with my mom because I didn’t take care of her properly. Sometimes I still blame myself for not being focused on the people I love, but I’m grateful to the Lord for teaching me to have a soft heart that knows how to understand and love. Even now, though my mom and I live separately, I still make sure to show my love for both her and dad. I always share Jesus' love with them and I keep them in my prayers.

We must always remember that parents are important in our lives. One day, we too will become parents, and respecting them is the beginning of a good life that the Lord continually manifests to us. If you are going through something right now, especially regarding your relationship with your parents, please join me in a short prayer.

Dear Lord, our beloved Father, thank you so much for the blessing of parents. Please help me to always see the importance of my parents. Let them see that I follow You and be a good example to others. I want to give them importance and show them respect and love. Thank you so much, Lord, I raise all of this in the name of our beloved Jesus, Amen.

Thank you for reading. To GOD be all the glory!