Honor Doesn’t Care How You Feel

Listen to this week’s podcast, BE HONORING, by clicking here!

A MESSAGE FROM MONICA:

She was a huge influence to me — I’m not sure I ever told her, but she was. I worked with her for a few years, and always marveled at her integrity and character. She had that innate and godly ability to be honest about how she was doing…if she was struggling or having a bad day…but never — not once ever — was disrespectful or malicious in her speech.

She called every single pastor by the title Pastor. Even my husband — and we were so low on the totem pole we basically just held it up. But in all her conversation to me, even if no one else was around, she referred to him as Pastor Greg.

I’d stop her — every time — and say,

“It’s just Greg! It’s so weird to hear you call him Pastor!”

And she’d reply,

“That’s his title. He’s earned it, and I’m going to call him that!” 

Never mind that Greg was easily 15 years her junior and that we weren’t into titles and that I’d sigh with exasperation. She was going to honor him because of his position. And that always spoke volumes to me.

I’ve thought of her often in the course of preparing this week’s podcast and post. She possessed the virtue of honoring more than any other person I can think of…even with a boss that wasn’t deserving of respect, authorities who possessed low integrity themselves, co-workers that in my (naive) mind didn’t deserve to be called by their title.

But she was right. Every single time.

As we discussed in this week’s podcast, respect is earned based on someones characteristics…but honor…honor is a given. Honor is something we are required to show based on a person’s achievements, position or authority.

Honor does not care how we FEEL about honoring. It’s demanded anyway. (tweet that)

I’ve thought of her often in the course of preparing this week’s podcast and post. She was right. Every single time.

And I want to tell her thank you.