What NOT to Respect
One of the harder things in our culture concerning respect
is that we may be taught that everything
should be respected – other religions, other people’s lifestyle choices that
are harmful, etc. That is not true. One cannot live a discerning life and think
that all things are equal.
First of all, other religions are not equal with
Christianity. Jesus gave his life for
ours. Nice teachings of other religions
are hardly comparable. God is large and
in charge when it comes to faith matters, and He says that obeying Him brings
blessing. Disobeying Him brings
curses. (Deuteronomy 28, John
15-17) Romans 10:9-10 say that we have
life if we believe God allowed Jesus to be crucified and then raised Him from
the dead.
And how about
those lifestyle choices? Teach your kids
to be observers of results. Life is all
about cause and effect. One example is
the food choices we make (less fat, more fiber, a little exercise) and how they
affect our quality of life as we get older.
Consider stories in the news about teens or adults who drink and
drive. While we feel compassion for
those who make bad choices, we cannot demonstrate a respect for those choices.
Another thing NOT to respect is laziness. A lifestyle of constant TV and video games
will not have the same outcome as a life of hard work and / or community
service. One will tend to poverty and
boredom; the other will be full of rewards and joy.
Speaking of media, we do not have to respect wrong opinions
and lies. All ideas do not give the same
end result. Whether it is national debt
or religious freedom in other countries everyone has an opinion. The end results of dictatorships, evil
governments, and hatred will always be agony, deprivation, and sorrow. Our government’s overspending will result in
future hardships like inflation and diminishing economic output.
So while you consider what to respect, remember to compare
your thinking to God’s thinking. Find
scriptures if you are not sure about what is right and what is wrong. God is very vocal in the Bible about human
behavior and choices. He loves everyone,
but he does not promise the same results for all life choices. Be careful about what you respect.
