“As all human beings are, in my view, creatures of God’s design, we must respect all other human beings. That does not mean I have to agree with their choices or agree with their opinions, but indeed I respect them as human beings.” ~ Stockwell Day
We are at the beginning of October, a month that has been set aside as Respect Life Month. Respect is something that is so desperately needed yet so profoundly lacking in our world. We can like others, we can dislike others, but we need to respect one another because we are all the same. We are carefully crafted in the image and likeness of God. That is something we often forget. I’m not a stranger. I’m your brother. You’re not a stranger. You’re my sister or brother. We are family.
If we respect one another, we have the basis to care for and protect each other. If we have no respect for others, we do not care what happens to them. That is how so many atrocities get visited upon others: wars, poverty, and genocide just to name a few.
Without respect for others, we also begin to lose respect for ourselves. That is because we often base our behaviors toward self on the way we treat other people. It’s a part of our human nature and is, in many ways, unavoidable. Without respect for others, we lose respect for self. Without respect for self, we lose respect for others.
With a general loss of respect, we tend to disregard God. Why pay attention to Him or listen to Him if we have no respect for anyone, including God? Yes, that is the horrible downward slope that a callous lack of respect has on us. If we see and understand that, maybe it won’t be too late to change our attitude and usher in a profound respect for all.
FAITH ACTION: Make sure to show respect to all you encounter today. Pray, as well, that all people learn to respect one another.