Why do we wrestle with the issue of respecting authority? Respect is something we can give to someone or withhold from them. It is our choice. You can’t force someone to respect you, no matter how hard you try. Either they will or they won’t.
One of the toughest things to teach can be the concept of respect. Evan lives in a world where he mostly understands things that are concrete. Hunger, tiredness, pain, happiness, sadness. But respect is such a difficult thing to explain to him. He doesn’t quite grasp it. The most we have been able to do is boil it down to “being nice” but that doesn’t quite get to the heart of it.
Respect is defined as “a feeling or attitude of admiration and deference toward somebody or something” and as “consideration or thoughtfulness.” Evan understands consideration as “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” But trying to teach him about having a “feeling” is a whole different ballgame!
We have worked on this for years. He is slowly coming to grips with the concept but I’m not sure how much is learned response and how much is true heart response. So it is with my attitude toward God and towards people sometimes. Just because I am polite and nice doesn’t necessarily mean I am being respectful. I can be one way outwardly, but different in my heart. God, who knows my every thought, certainly sees my true feelings. People, on the other hand, might not be able to read me as well.
As I work with Evan, trying to teach him the true meaning of respect, God works with me, trying to teach me also. I don’t know which of us will get it first, Evan or I. Hopefully we both will!
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