Thursday-R E S P E C T
- Chet Gladkowski
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
1 Peter 3:7
There are literally millions of songs that have been written and recorded from around the world. Most of them are forgettable. Here today and then they vanish. But there are some very special ones that are so memorable that the song and performer are forever linked. You can’t say either one without that instant connection.
And that’s what happened on Valentines Day in 1967. On that day, Aretha Franklin recorded her famous version of “Respect.” When it went on sale, it immediately shot to the top of the charts, staying there for eight weeks in America. It also was a smash hit throughout Europe.
Now, that all happened a long time ago. A lot has happened since then. But this powerful song still impacts us today. It’s been played in at least 65 movies and countless television shows. In 2021, when Rolling Stone updated their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, Aretha’s 1967 version of “Respect” was moved to the very top of the list[1].
Respect is an important idea today. It was important back in 1967. It was also very important in the first century. And while many people may not know this, respect is really important to God today. Why else would Peter make such a big deal about it if it wasn’t.
When we respect someone, we value them. We think they’re important, so we treat them as the special people that they are. We go out of our way to demonstrate exactly what we think about them.
Think about it like this. Respect never stays silent. Respect never does nothing. Respect is always more than just a thought or feeling. Respect must break out into action. Respect will always change what we do and how we speak. Anything less is not really respect at all.
When you want to honor someone, you put your wants and desires on the side and focus on what the other person wants. What makes them happy. What pleases them. Honor is never about you and always about the person being honored. They move into first place, and we volunteer to help and serve them.
I know that this is not an exciting or popular idea. You won’t find a seminar or master class on how to honor and serve others anywhere in the world. Not at all. Everyone and everything around us point to one truth. We’re number one. Not only are we most important to ourselves, but also in the lives of everyone else on planet Earth.
Did you see this in what Peter said? We’re to treat the person being honored by looking out for them. We’re willing to let them go through the door first. To give them the best of everything before we do anything for ourselves.
Looking back, this is exactly what my mom did for our family. When dinner was put on the table, she passed the meat to dad for him to take the first piece. Then my brother. Then me. And then finally she served herself. She put us ahead of herself in so many ways. She always spent money on us first before she did anything for herself.
And the beautiful thing about mom was that she never talked about her actions. She didn’t sit down at dinner and announce, “Well, did you see what I just did? I let you go first. As all of you get the best of the meal, I’m going to throw myself a pity party. I’m going to sulk and mope around just so I can make you feel as guilty as possible.”
Peter’s telling them and us that we’re all weak. Each and every one of us need help, support, training, discipline, and encouragement from others. None of us do anything alone. We all need the help and support of someone else.
When we came into this world, we arrive with some great gifts, talents, and abilities. And they are such a blessing. Words cannot begin to describe everything that God’s already given. But they are just small seeds of what might they can bloom into. We need people to believe in us. Help us. Train us. Correct us. Encourage us. Through all this and more, when they are investing their lives into us, they are showing respect for us. Not respect for what we can do now, but for what we might become.
The biggest way that we’ve been shown respect is that Christ died for us. He could have just sat there on his heavenly throne and let us slide into eternity without him. But instead, he came and died to save us. The God of the whole universe sees you and me as someone he can save.
For some of us, it’s almost impossible to believe that God would do all this and more. We know exactly who we are and what we’ve done. The answer is that he knows more about us than we know ourselves. And yet, that didn’t stop him from paying that horrible, eternal price to bring us back to himself. The old hymn says it so well, “Amazing love. How can it be? That Thou my God shouldst die for me[2].”
Noodling Questions
Describe someone you want to show respect for. What do you do for them?
How has God shown respect for you? How does this make you feel?
How can you respond to God’s respect by showing him respect?
[2] And can it be, Author: Charles Wesley (1738)
Comments