Respect is one of those words that makes you cringe. Your thoughts probably went to that time you sassed your mom and you still wince at the thought of the consequences. We all feel guilt when we disrespect our parents (or at least almost all of us). Do we feel any guilt when we disrespect our leaders?
It can be very hard to respect someone who you don’t agree with their decisions or view points, but does that mean we shouldn’t respect them? Not at all!
If you read Exodus 22:28 you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.
You must not dishonor God or curse any of your rulers. Exodus 22:28
New Living Translation
Here God does not say, “You must only respect your rulers if you agree with their views” nor does He say, “You can call them names if, and only if, they dishonor Me”. You remember that saying, ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say’. Well, that applies to real life. It isn’t just one of those clichés to ignore.
Who are the rulers of our people? We have the government leaders, the community leaders, the church leaders, and the family leaders. Respect covers a lot of areas of life.
This seems nearly impossible, but God can help you do anything. He can help you keep from speaking against government leaders. He can help you respect the decision of that community leader that you don’t agree with. He can help you respect your Church leaders and know if they are leading you in the ways of God. He can also help you respect family decisions, even if you wish they had turned out differently.
I want to make it clear that respect and agree are two completely different words. Just because you respect someone’s decision does not mean you agree with it. God never said that you aren’t supposed to have an opinion. Respect is about how you express your opinion. There is simply stating that you disagree and there is being rude and saying things better left unsaid.
We all struggle with this, you are not alone. I pray that you never feel that way. I encourage you to find someone with strong faith to talk to when you are having faith struggles. God gave us elders to turn to when we struggle.
Keep your eyes open next week for Ball’s first blog post special!
