Forgiving Imperfect Parents

“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

Exodus 20:12

My son, my daughter, I know your parents got things wrong. Maybe with words too harsh, decisions that marked your childhood, absences or excesses that shaped wounds you still carry today, even as an adult. No one taught you how to honor someone who also hurt you.

I didn't ask you to honor your parents by pretending they were perfect. I asked you to honor the place they held in your life, even while acknowledging their failures. They too were children of imperfect parents, raised without the emotional resources you may have today. That doesn't excuse everything, but it explains part of the story.

Forgiving your parents doesn't mean saying your childhood was easy. It means no longer letting their wound keep bleeding inside you, decades later. I want to heal that root so you don't unknowingly repeat the same patterns with those you love today. Come with me to that origin, and let's heal it together.