(My 4th Personal Core Value)
I grew up with the understanding that Respect was owed to others.
Period.
Now, I understand that I must first respect myself.
Minus that, I do not have a basis from which to extend respect to others.
The Nitty-Gritty
What does Respect look like, sound like, act like?
How does one acquire an understanding of respect?
What is the process that establishes personal respect?
Respect is defined as “regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.”
In addition it can carry “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.”
Respect includes a sense of value for other people, for life, for animals, for Nature.
Original Plan
God assigned to mankind the task of Caring for the World in which they lived.
But first, He made sure they understood where they had come from and how.
Respect is an outgrowth of understanding Who I am, Where I came from, Why I am here, and What my destiny is.
Sadly, people who are confused about the answers to those those four universal questions, tend to lack the framework on which respect is built.
Biblical View
It is not a new problem.
Cain had no respect for his brother, or for the work he did.
Gardening was ever so much more important than sheep herding. To the point, even God had deemed it right for a lamb to be killed.
You see, when I believe that I am more valuable, more deserving, more gifted – in my mind, it does not make sense to value what I have diminished.
Real-Life View
I learned to value the work that produced food from our gardens. I could see the direct connection between my effort and the menu for my meals. My Aunt and Uncle knew the work processes that would feed us through the winter months. I paid attention when he took a hoe and said, “This is how you make sure the corn will produce ears that will feed us.”
I learned in the 3rd grade to respect my classmates, even when they could not do as well as I could.
I sighed {audibly) as my classmate struggled to read from the Reader. He noticed and look up at me, then at the teacher.
Miss Thurlow was not slow to march me into the cloak room and apply a ruler to my hands and words of reprimand to my brain.
That struggling student became my best friend.
Answers
Early in my life I learned the answers to the the questions above.
Who? I am a direct descendant of a Mayflower family. But, more importantly, I am a son of God. Where? Fashioned by Him in His image in my mother’s womb.
What? Redeemed from certain death and guaranteed eternal life in a sinless universe.
Why? To live my life in service to God, doing the work that He assigns to me.
Put into Practice
The Bible tells me that I am to see every human as a child of God;
That I am a steward of the World, obligated to take care of it - keep it like the Garden that He first planted on the earth. Plants, animals, people – all part of God’s Creation; therefore, all to be respected.
Respect the accomplished worker and the beginning learner.
Respect the mechanic that fixed my clutch problem as much as I respect the surgeon who removed the cancer from my body.
Respect the stranger with whom I share the aisle in Wal-Mart.
And even though I may have a different understanding than my brother or sister in the church of some Spiritual Truth – Respect the Holy Spirit to take care of it.
My task is to accept and encourage – Respect.
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