Sometimes, children think that what they give to their parents are all honor, respect, love, and obedience. But little did they know that the simple or slight frustration on their parents’ imperfections might actually trigger their “false self-entitlement”. What does this mean? This is the feeling or thinking that you are more than the other person or that others are lesser than you. The thoughts of “I am better,” “I am wiser,” “At least I know these things” are just examples of how a person can disregard his humility.
Humility is very important. In fact, it is a critical ingredient to the authenticity of the honor and respect you give to your parents. This is the acceptance that your parents are always higher than you even if there are things that they cannot do or they do not know. This is the acknowledgement that your parents are worthy of respect and honor even if they commit mistakes and fail you a lot of times. The bible said: “you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
When there is lack of humility in children, rebellion is present. This is because in rebellion, children perceive that they are better and more rational than their parents. Rebellion says that “my way is better than my parents’ way.” But when there is humility in children, they can say that “although I cannot understand my parents today and although it seems to me that what they do does not make sense to me, I will still respect and honor them because I believe that what they want is just the best for me.”
