Treating Our Old Like Gold
One great way we can be outward-looking this CNY is to show respect to our parents and our elderly relatives.
In Leviticus 19, it reads:
“Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father… I am the Lord your God.”
– Leviticus 19:3
“You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord.”
– Leviticus 19:18
1. He is the Lord our God
This is not a piece of advice from a friend, a good suggestion from a teacher, or an answer from Google. It is a command from God Himself. (And repeated in the New Testament – see Ephesians 6:1-3.) Here, as elsewhere in the Bible, God is called “the Lord”. Ever wondered why He is called “the Lord”? Well, it means that He reigns and rules, over every one and everything. That includes you and me. We would be wise to obey what He says.
But God is not just “the Lord”. He is also “our God”. I like the word ‘our’, and how it’s placed right before ‘God’. And I like how He has placed us right before Him! We are His own special people, and to us, He is our God, our special God. Should we not show Him how special He is to us by obeying what He says?
God, the Lord our God, has spoken. Let us hear and obey!
2. The Lord our God consistently commands us to love others.
One day, when Jesus had silenced both groups of His ‘haters’, the Pharisees and the Sadducees (who also hated each other), the Pharisees called an urgent meeting. They found a great ‘trick question’. They asked Jesus, “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
Jesus would not be beat, and did not skip a beat. Love the Lord your God with all you’ve got, he said – but he didn’t stop there. You always get something more from Jesus. He added: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Where did He get that one? The answer is Leviticus 19. Verse 18 says, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord.”
We can see that God sees love as so very important. Thus He told the Israelites to love everyone: the poor people, the workers, the foreigners, customers… and He also made this special mention of the elderly. God is all about love, and we show love to our elders by showing them respect.
3. Chinese New Year and the opportunities it presents
Chinese New Year presents not just ang baos, snacks, and new clothes – it also presents us with fantastic opportunities to show respect to our parents and elders. Here are some steps we can take:
- Plans
- Respect the plans our parents make for the family over the holiday period
- Etiquette
- Learn and use proper greetings and titles of our older relatives
- Relate
- Have proper conversations with them, not only with our own siblings or cousins
- ‘First’
- Take the trouble to serve our relatives first at reunion dinner
- Express
- Express appreciation for their angbaos, hospitality and gifts
- Care & concern
- Help those who need help, whether they are weak or disabled, or need help with the cooking or washing up
- Think: God
- Remember why we seek to do this – not because we are ‘good kids’ or traditional Chinese people, but because of God – the Lord, our God, who loves us
While these tips spell “P.E.R.F.E.C.T.”, they are not! And we will never be. The amazing thing is that the Lord is our God who loves us and wants us to love, too. This Chinese New Year, let us obey Him, by treating our old like gold.