We live in a society that is looking to blame someone for everything. I think we can all agree there is plenty of blame to go around but I believe there is a better way. Rather than focus on the things that we despise let us put more energy into honoring that which we want to reproduce. I find what you focus on draws you in and holds you captive. Ever been driving your car down the highway and been distracted by a billboard? All of the sudden you hear the tires scrubbing the shoulder as you wander off the road in the direction you are looking! Why? What you focus on sets your course. The more we focus on what we despise the more consumed with it we become. This is why I believe releasing honor not only blesses others but blesses those who offer it. Certainly honor encourages and uplifts another but it also it gets our focus on something worth celebrating. So why and how should we do that? I’m glad you asked… (Click here to read my post “What You Focus On Draws You In”)
I like to use the term “releasing honor” because I believe honor is often a natural impulse and is only limited by our conscious decision to shut it down. For example, that “wow” that comes out of your mouth when you see a beautiful sunset, or an amazing athletic achievement is a form of honor. You release it by expressing it but it was on its way out without you having to think about it much! You simply responded to something wonderful. I believe honor can be the same way. However, we often choose to not release honor because of peripheral issues. We choose not to honor the person who got the promotion in our office because we do not believe they deserve it. Our own pride and jealousy stymies our response and we withhold honor. I have found I am not the person I prefer to be when I withhold honor from those who deserve it (and I have done it more than I care to admit).
Shouldn’t You Have To Earn It?
Another reason we withhold honor is because we do not believe the person in the honored position is honorable! We have all faced that in one form or another. Many of us are familiar with the Bible verse that says, “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” Notice, there is a blessing for the person that does the honoring! However, many have not had parents that they would deem as honorable because of their lifestyles, abusive behaviors, or any myriad of reasons that would cause one to want to withhold honor. This same principle could be applied to any person in authority. Surely we are not required to release honor to dishonorable people are we? Or are we? This is where it gets painfully powerful.
There is a distinction to be made between a person and their position. It is entirely possible for me to honor someone for the position they hold while at the same time not honoring the personal beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics of that person. Admittedly, that is difficult and requires no small amount of maturity. But for those that will engage it, there is an incredible blessing because it reflects the heart of God. While we were still sinners, God reached for us and HONORED us by sending His only Son to die for our filthy sins. (Click here to read my post “The Transformational Truth”)
I cannot think of something more honorable done for those so unworthy. Is it easy? No. Is it powerful? More than we can fully realize. I find people often become a representation of how we behold them. If God’s kindness leads us to repentance, then I think dishonorable people who are honored (in whatever possible way that is both honest and sincere) can become more honorable over time as they are transformed by such love and grace. Is that a 100% guarantee? Of course not, however, I do believe it is more Christ-like than berating or ignoring them. God did neither to us.
Boots on the Ground
When I was a teenager I once worked for a man who regularly cheated people out of their money, was perverse in his speech and behaviors, and was an all-around unpleasant person in many regards. While I worked for him at his shop I was under his authority and had to choose if I would honor his position as my boss and the owner of the establishment. Would I pray for him, would I choose to only say behind his back what I would have the courage to say to his face, and would I honor the rules he put in place for the business that employed me whether he followed them or not (he did not)? Choosing to honor him and his position had more to say about me and who I am than it did about who he was and what he did. This is the challenge for many of us but when we choose to release honor it ends up being a blessing to us as much as anyone else. I was soon promoted (out of that place) and into a much better work environment but not because I cursed him or his business. It was because God honors those who honor. (I certainly did not bat 1000 so God’s grace is a huge part of the equation as well!) So let me ask, “who are you?”
My Mother and Father gave me a gift I am still unpacking in my 40’s. They made it easy for me to honor them because of the lives they lived and the decisions they made. Though they made it easy that doesn’t mean I have always done well at it. However, the older I get the more inspired I am to offer the same to my wife, children, friends, coworkers and community as best I can. What about you? We cannot go backwards but we do have the gift of today. Let us release honor to everyone we can today, regardless of our opinions. And as we do, let’s make it easier for others to release honor in our direction by living lives worthy of honor. No matter what others do, I know God will honor us as we do our best to honor others as a reflection of His great love today. Selah. (Click here to read my post, “Those Who Dug The Well”)
From the Bible:
Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you…” – Exodus 20:12 NLT
Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:7-8 NLT
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? – Romans 2:4 NLT