Exodus 20:12

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12

 Who doesn't have problems with their parents.  I've spent a few years in therapy because of mine and experiences I had as a kid. I love and respect my parents and I would do anything they needed me to do.  But they are not perfect.  I am not perfect.  And, I was not a perfect parent to my children and they will not be perfect parents to their children.

There must be a reason that God felt he needed to state this implicitly.  And that Jesus needed to repeat it in the new testament. 

I read a commentary that said that God specifically chose the parents you were born to and the time that you were born.  I struggle with that statement.  God would choose for me to be born to abuse, absent, murderous parents that I was then to honor?   Since God's ways are higher than my ways and God's wisdom greater than mine, I could see where that statement could make some sense.... in the way that we are all overcomers and that God can bring us out of ANY situation to be a great person for HIM, no matter the circumstances.  Choosing HIM is the ultimate point of any life and through him, we could honor our parents and show His love to them regardless.  Forgiveness is available for all if we honor ANYONE through Him.  That is the only way that the horribleness that some experience as children could overcome.  Forgiveness is amazing.  That is the only light in which this verse makes sense to me.  My thoughts are really jumbled on this one.