A hawk always demands respect!
Respect seems to be in very short supply these days. Husbands and wives don’t respect each other. Children don’t respect their parents. Adults don’t respect their leaders. We don’t even seem to have much respect for the clergy anymore.
What is going on with our society? While I can’t say for sure, I think it starts at home. How do we speak to each other and treat each other within the four walls of our homes? When we disagree with one another, do we respect our differences or do we spiral into name calling and belittling the person we disagree with? Is “your way,” always right?
Do we criticize our spouses in front of our children? If we don’t respect each other, then how can we expect our children to respect us? I once heard a pastor say, that if he couldn’t teach his son to respect his earthly father who was standing right in front of him, then how in the world, was he going to teach him to respect a heavenly father that he couldn’t see?
I think he made a very good point. Should our children respect us just because we tell them to or do we have to earn it? While we can make them behave in a certain way, we cannot make them respect us.
Respect is an attitude, not an action. There are actions than stem from it or lack of it, but respect itself, is an attitude. So, how do we go about earning it? I think we start by respecting God and His rules. The Ten Commandments are always a great start. How are we doing with the top ten?
The New Testament gives all kinds of examples of how we are to love and treat each other as well. Ephesians, chapter six, tells children to obey their parents and fathers not to provoke their children to anger in they way that they treat them. (I think it’s safe to say mothers are included in this as well.) That means don’t treat them harshly for no good reason. It goes onto say, “Bring them up in the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.” That mean teach them God’s laws.
Jesus tells us to, “Love each other as I have loved you.” John 13:34. I think that if we really make an effort to follow God’s blueprint for our lives, we really begin to respect those around us because we begin to respect that we are all His creations and He never makes mistakes.
If we start with respect at home, then it carries over to friends, co-workers, bosses, neighbors and teachers. We can learn to respect differences and not insist on the other person bending to our way. We may find that we end up living with a sense of peace that we haven’t known before.
I think this may be worth a try. What do you think? Feel free to comment.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
2 Responses to R-E-S-P-E-C-T