I love Indian food. That probably doesn’t surprise you because, after all, I am Indian. Maybe this will surprise you: my ability to cook Indian food is…let’s say…limited. I can make one thing that is truly the food of my people – chicken curry – and the only reason I can do that is because I have a recipe with exact measurements, thanks to my sister.
I have tried to learn to cook other dishes but those just don’t ever turn out. Thankfully, my parents and my in-laws still have no problem sending food for their grown children.
Case in point:
This is my mom’s idli and coconut chutney. If you aren’t South Indian, then you might be thinking autocorrect really butchered some words but that isn’t the case. This Indian dish is something I enjoy eating but it is just another example of something I have yet to learn to make.
As I was eating it this time though, something hit me. I realized that one day, I wouldn’t have this. Sure, I could go to an Indian restaurant and get some but I wouldn’t have THIS: my mom’s cooking.
Tomorrow, my mom celebrates another birthday. My grandmother lived to be 92 so God willing, my mom has a long way to go. But it doesn’t change the fact that at this stage in life, the time we have left with our parents may be less than what we already had.
It’s a sobering but potentially impactful thought. It can affect every aspect of our relationship with our parents – how we talk to them, how we listen, how we treat them, the time we spend with them and so much more.
I’m not implying that we need to be in a constant state of sadness because of the stage of life our parents are in…what I am saying is that being more aware of it could change the time that we do have with them.
Scripture puts it like this in Psalms 90:12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Something happens to how we think when we understand how limited our time is.
In his message, “Don’t Waste Your Family”*, Ben Stuart offers this suggestion regarding our parents: “Stay connected to them. Speak graciously to them. Speak gratefully to them. Thank them for what they have done in your life – for bringing you into existence if nothing else. And for dropping $250,000 to raise you.”
He goes on to say, “Even if your family doesn’t deserve it, you aren’t doing it for them, you do it for the Lord. If Jesus, while He was dying for the sins of the world..could look down and make sure His mother is taken care of by one of His disciples, you can call your mom.”
We no longer have to clean our room or make our bed at their command but they are still our parents. They may not have always gotten it right but neither have we. Trust that they did the best they could to raise us and now let’s do the best we can to honor them and make the most of the time we have with them. It is worth savoring. ~ Anu
*You can listen to the entire message here: https://passioncitychurch.com/gathering/dont-waste-your-family/
