Based on the writings of Ellen White, caring for parents is a sacred duty for children, rooted in respect and gratitude for the care they received. This responsibility extends throughout the parents' lives, especially in their old age. ### The Duty of Children to Their Parents Children are indebted to their parents for their care and should honor and support them. This obligation does not end when a child reaches adulthood. - **A Lifelong Obligation**: "Children should feel that they are indebted to their parents, who have watched over them in infancy and nursed them in sickness. They should realize that their parents have suffered much anxiety on their account." (1T 395.3) - **Respect and Comfort**: "Children, even after they are of age, are required to respect, and look after the comforts of their parents. They should listen to the counsel of godly parents, and not feel because a few years are added to their life, that they have grown out of their duty to them." (4bSG 48.2) ### Christ's Example Jesus provided the ultimate example of caring for a parent, even while on the cross. - **Providing for His Mother**: "In His dying agony, He remembers to provide for His sorrowing, widowed mother. The same spirit will be seen in every disciple of our Lord. Those who follow Christ will feel that it is a part of their religion to respect and provide for their parents. From the heart where His love is cherished, father and mother will never fail of receiving thoughtful care and tender sympathy." (DA 752.3) ### The Role of Family and the Church in Caring for the Aged Ellen White gives specific counsel on how to care for elderly members who may not have a home or family to support them. The primary responsibility lies with the family, and if that is not possible, the church should step in. - **Home-Based Care is Preferred**: "It is not best to establish institutions for the care of the aged, that they may be in a company together. Nor should they be sent away from home to receive care. Let the members of every family minister to their own relatives." (6T 272.1) - **A Duty and Privilege for the Church**: "When this is not possible, the work belongs to the church, and it should be accepted both as a duty and as a privilege. All who have Christ's spirit will regard the feeble and aged with special respect and tenderness." (6T 272.1) ### A Foundation of Parental Sacrifice This duty of care is a response to the love and sacrifice parents make for their children. - **Parental Burdens**: "Burdened with many cares, the mother may sometimes feel that she cannot take time patiently to instruct her little ones and to give them love and sympathy. But she should remember that if the children do not find in their parents and in their homes that which will satisfy their desire for sympathy and companionship, they will look to other sources, where both mind and character may be endangered." (CT 124.2)