Honor When It's Due!
"Honor your father and your mother,
that your days may be long upon the
land which the Lord your God is giving you."
Exodus 20:12
When presidents die, the nation honors their contributions
to the nation. The same happens when the military or local
public service hero loses his or her life. Such honor is well-
deserved. However other expressions of
honor seem to be
practiced less: gentlemen treating
ladies respectfully, young
people rising to greet the elderly
person, children honoring
their parents, people honoring the nation’s flag, and others.
There is something timeless and universal about “honor.” For
instance, hundreds of years, before Moses wrote the fifth of
Ten Commandments, the command to honor one’s parents,
Joseph did this thing without being commanded. Although
his mother was dead, Joseph honored his father, Jacob, by
bringing his household to Egypt, introducing him to Pharaoh,
settling his family in the choice lands in Egypt, and returning
his body to Canaan to be buried when he died. Most of all,
Joseph wept grievously over his father when he died and
called the nation of Egypt to honor him at his passing.
Honor feels right when extended, and feels
wrong when it's withheld. Look for someone to
honor today in word or deed (Romans 13:7).
"Honour ought to seek thee,
not thou seek it."
Augustine
