“Young man, if your parents are still living, treat them kindly. Do all you can to make their declining years sweet and happy. Bear in mind that this is the only command that you may not always be able to obey. As long as you live, you will be able to serve God, to keep the Sabbath, to obey all the other commandments; but the day comes to most men when father and mother die. What bitter feelings you will have when the opportunity has gone by if you fail to show them the respect and love that is their due! How long is it since you wrote to your mother?” –D. L. Moody, On the Ten Commandments (Chicago: Moody Press, 1896, p. 72).
D. L. Moody, On the Ten Commandments, 72.
The point
D. L. Moody challenged young men to treat living parents with kindness while they can, emphasizing this unique opportunity will not always exist.