come in and visit
Respect is honoring others by the kind ways we act toward them — by giving them courteous treatment.
Respect, in the past, was an expected rule of behavior, — but often now it seems to be the exception. Nevertheless, it is still true that family members deserve respect. (That’s true for non-family members also.)
I was in a group meeting some time ago, when a gentleman who served his community as a Postman said, “The only way to treat another person is FIRST CLASS.” —Now that’s respect at its best!
So what can we do to show respect to family members? Try these possibilities and add some of your own choosing.
-You can respect them by knocking if the door to their room is closed.
-You can respect them by expecting their performance to be on par with their chronological age.
-You can respect them by being sensitive to their needs, their giftedness, and their limitations.
-You can respect them by giving time to them and by recognizing their time schedule.
-You respect them as you show interest by listening to their desires and opinions.
-It is necessary to respect each other even when you disagree. When you’re wrong choose to seek forgiveness and apologize. It’s O.K. to say “I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”
-Sometimes you may just need to agree to disagree.
-It’s also O.K. to just choose to defer to the other. I once heard of a couple who made a commitment to see which could defer to the other the most. Wow! That’s a good one!
Perhaps the greatest gift parents can give to their children is to consistently show honor, love, and respect to each other.
The greatest book ever written, The Holy Bible, gives us a distinct pattern, in Colossians 3:18 - 21, for giving honor and respect to members of our family. In The Message, The New Testament In Contemporary Language, by Eugene H. Peterson, the passage is translated this way:
“Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master.
“Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don’t take advantage of them.
“Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end.
“Parents, don’t come down too hard on your children or you’ll crush their spirits.”
The town of Bath on the banks of the Avon River in England, has been considered one of the most beautiful spots on the British Isles. Folliot Sanford Pierpoint was born in Bath, went away to attend Cambridge University and returned home at twenty-nine. The beauty of the countryside in the late spring caused his heart to well up with emotion and inspired him to write the hymn “For The Beauty of the Earth.” Each of the eight stanzas thanks God for a different kind of beauty, the fourth saying:
“For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above;
For all gentle thoughts and mild:”
and concludes, as it does with each stanza, with the words of gratitude,
“Christ our God, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.”
Honor, Love, and Respect each member of your family,—those who are younger, those who are older, and those of your own age. Treat each one “FIRST CLASS” — TODAY!
Share your experience with me at
Giving Your Family the Gift of Respect
Sunday, April 27, 2008
