Honor Your Elderly Parents
GDSin ITALIAN
This wasn’t the first health scare with Mum. And my brother and sister were always quick to help out. But this time was different. She’d be here for at least another week and then more long-term care. We just weren’t prepared for that.
I should have accepted more help when the friends offered. I just didn’t want to be a burden. Janice understood, and she was wondering how this might affect her Bethel service. Terrance wished he lived closer so he could do more. We decided to pray, sleep on it, and regroup after doing some research.
I shared the example of Joseph in Genesis 45, where he told his father: “You must dwell in the land of Goshen, where you will be near me . . . I will supply you with food.” He didn’t let a long distance get in his way of caring for Jacob. He took practical steps and made his care a priority.
Janice and Terrance too found great articles offering solutions such as asking for periodic help, making more time to communicate with Mum, or even getting a part-time nurse.
We weren’t prepared for her situation to change so suddenly, but Jehovah is guiding us through each new challenge. And with his help, we’re honoring Mum, making her care our continual priority.
In this dramatization, we saw one way that a family decided to care for an aging parent. Of course, situations will differ from one family to the next. Each must make a prayerful decision based on their circumstances.