So often I have heard that respect has to be earned. I disagree. I taught my staff for years to give respect first. It can of course be lost with bad behaviour, poor work and a loss of trust. But if we offer respect first, how much better would our lives, our friends, our community and the world be?
You never know what someone is going through. You should respect them because it’s the right thing to do. Treating everyone with fundamental kindness, fairness, and decency feels good for everyone.
Respect, as defined by Dictionary.com, is:
- a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
- due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.
- admire (someone or something) deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.
In Romans 13:7 it states that respect is owed, not earned; “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honour to whom honour is owed.”
1 Peter 2:17 “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.”
Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”.
1 Corinthians 10:33 “even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”
How about this instead? Respect is given, disrespect is earned.
How would your relationships change if you freely gave respect to others, as God does?
Meandering Moose 