teaching respect

 to respect carries the idea of "showing regard to, paying attention to"

Psalm 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. [If I pay attention to and regard God's Word, I will have no reason to be ashamed.]

Colossians 3:23-25 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. [when we disregard God's commands we will receive proper judgment just the same as the next person. No one is exempt from the consequences of his actions.]

Psalm 138:6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. [God will take notice of those who show humility.]

Some things we are commanded by God that show our respect for Him.
Ephesians 6:5-9 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: [and the end of their conversation is this] for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Just because I am "all-grown-up" does not mean I do not have any authority over my life. And as usual, the best way to teach our children is through example. 


I will teach my children to have respect for each other and their classmates by showing respect for them and other children we come into contact with and also by how I interact with my own peers. 

Part of being respectful is trying to anticipate needs and being responsive when needs are made known. If I see that someone is walking towards a closed door with her arms full and I have nothing, and I do nothing to help, that is being disrespectful to her as a person. But if I speed my steps just enough to get there and open the door for her, I have shown respect. And it is of no consequence if I even know her.


I will teach my children how to have respect for their teachers and other authority {boss, police, laws/government, etc} by how I show my respect for those individuals. If I take matters into my own hands even after clear instruction from an authority, then I am teaching my children that they, also, can pick and choose which instructions they wish to obey. But when I do all within my power to do what is expected {whether clearly stated or not} and do not make excuses when I cannot accomplish it, I teach my own children responsibility as well as respect.


And as a stay-at-home-wife/mother, my closest human authority is my husband. That is not to say he "bosses" me, {smiles} but he IS, Biblically, an authority in my life. And how I respond to his requests, how I convey my attitude after turning from him-body language, facial expressions... that says more than any words. And when my children see me disrespect their daddy, they WILL show disrespect to others. And they will not understand when someone tries to correct them. Confusion will ensue. 


Since my children leave me for the day to attend school, the next most important authority relationship is with their teachers. I wrote a little about how I must be willing to allow others to correct my children here. And that lines up with teaching them respect, which in turn contributes to teaching responsibility! 


So each day, my life is about more than "my life." Much of my life is about teaching my children to respect others and how to show that respect through kindness of actions and words.

My life is about striving to BE the person God created me to be... so they can learn to be the person God wants them to be!