#14 My Heart Undressed | Lost Honor
JANE PHINNEY: Honor recognized merited or assigned position. If the position isn’t acknowledged, it naturally follows that the authority given to that position won’t be well received either.
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LOST HONOR
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in August. Two of my now 14-year- old grands were babies. Following our traditional family lunch after church, the afternoon passed leisurely with outside play, reading, bike riding, naps, & dessert thereafter. Steve & I decided to take Wyatt (16 months) & Montana (11 months) for a walk around the lake. We put them in strollers & walked the short block to our all-round favorite destination…Sterling Lake.
Early Fall is also student orientation at the college, so it wasn’t unusual to see many young, unfamiliar faces about town. We were walking, side by side, on the sidewalk that outlines the entire park, chatting away & enjoying the reactions of the babies. Glancing ahead, we saw 20-30 college guys, apparently freshman, walking 2 abreast & coming straight at us. Because we had babies in tow, I assumed they would respond with a chivalrous gesture & step to the side. Contrary to my expectation, the entire group kept advancing rapidly. We literally were forced to peel the strollers off the sidewalk, in opposite directions, onto the grass. I don’t recall that we said anything at that moment. We were too shocked at being “swo-o-o-shed” by the breeze of their forceful passing. Near the end of the brigade, one young man deliberately stepped off the sidewalk, & indicated by his opened arm that he wanted us to continue. We expressed our thanks & did so. I turned to Steve & said, “Wow! We’re in trouble. That’s who will be in charge when we’re old!”
Some of you may think I overreacted to the lake situation. But current social attitudes, toward people in general, don’t hold a candle to the practices of the old days. In recent years, I’ve grown increasingly befuddled, & disheartened, by the vanishing principle of honor, as a guidepost in our culture. Growing up, my parents lived out honor intuitively. It was considered normal to value all people…at least in my world. Social status, money, or the kind of car you drove didn’t determine intrinsic worth. Value was given by virtue of being God’s creation. My parents pretty much treated everyone the same. This was based on their underlying respect for God & His Word. We ended every mealtime with reading & prayer. The most significant impression they left on me was how they responded to my grandparents, exhibiting love, concern, availability & service--all the time. It felt natural & I never suspected anything would be different. Back then, it was the right thing to do…to look out for the 2 people who gave you life. My parents were raising their own kids & we had our own family challenges. So more was “caught” than taught in learning the honor principle. My folks didn’t push it on us or toot their own horn. We simply watched them live it.
My inquiry into the Biblical view of honor shows that honor is referenced around130 times in the Bible. Honor is both a verb (action) & a noun (attitude) & means to esteem, highly regard another or merited respect. The Word says that God, Christ, the Spirit, parents, gray hair, & church officers are worthy of honor. Honor is bestowed on those who are wise, gracious, disciplined, humble, peaceful, merciful & righteous… by honoring God & by serving Christ. In the Bible, people were advanced to positions of honor. (Read the stories of Joseph, Joshua, Solomon, Daniel & the apostles.) I’ve concluded that only God is honorable in both position & condition…because He’s holy & therefore perfect. He established all governing authority in our lives for our good & protection. (Rom 13:1-7) We are to honor the established position despite the imperfect condition of the fallible person fulfilling the role. (Check out I Peter 2:13-3:17) I grew up honoring parents, pastors, teachers, policeman, the office of the President, city officials, & specifically, the elderly…. to name a few. As a matter of protocol, I did not reference my friends’ parents by their first names, mock officials, bad-mouth the President, disregard the elderly, or speak disrespectfully to/about my pastor. Honor recognized merited or assigned position. If the position isn’t acknowledged, it naturally follows that the authority given to that position won’t be well received either.
God is all about honor…since the beginning of time. It’s who He is. When Satan thought too much of himself & tried to take over, God booted him out of heaven. (Isaiah 14:12-15) When Adam and Eve dishonored God by their disobedience, they were removed from the Garden of Eden. And Pharoah learned the hard way that you don’t mess with God Almighty. The Bible is full of life lessons about honor. First, foremost, though not popular in a culture driven by wokeism, God’s view of honor/position, based on authority, remains alive & well. He doesn’t need our approval. It’s simple really. He is the great I AM. You can argue until you’re breathless. But He isn’t going to change to accommodate our quibbling. Bringing this a little closer to home, honoring God means acknowledging His right as Creator of all, to establish all authority. Resisting what He designed can reap a heap of unnecessary trouble in our lives.
In my mind, it’s a no-brainer as to why our present culture has unraveled into utter chaos. Although this decay has been a slow fade over time, the past 10 years have expedited the disastrous consequences of disregard for human life in general, and the dishonor toward positions of authority specifically. Look around. Check out 2 Timothy chapter 3. The evidence is everywhere. My comment to Steve while walking the babies all those years ago, wasn’t too far off. What presently blows my mind is the attitude that it’s a “right” to dishonor whomever, & whatever, at will. Honor is a lost passion & a practically extinct mindset. An attitude of “me first” is snuffing out the once accepted Biblical mindset of giving/dying to self for another’s good. And it all starts with dishonoring God…His position…His Word. We are “caught” in a naturally destructive cycle that no longer needs to be taught.
Obviously, I’m pretty fired up about the dishonor of God’s authority. That isn’t to say I’ve modeled honoring His Word all my life. Because I have not. But I’ve been sifted sufficiently to say that I’ll continue to learn & grow in all Truth until I’m dead. That said, I am sickened to watch the enemy do a refined job of sowing lies & distorting Truth in the minds of people I know and/or love. The results that I see have reaffirmed the proper fear of God in my soul. God does not take the adding to, or subtracting from, His Word lightly. There are forever consequences. The principles set forth in the Old Testament culminate in the New Testament. (Deut 4:2; 12:32; Prov 30:6; Rev 22: 18-19) I’m frightened for those who openly change what the Bible teaches in defense of their sin.
One thing I do know is that fence sitting is not an option for a permanent change of heart. And that’s where it starts. You can’t be lukewarm & expect to reap His benefits in daily living, or for eternity. I have hope because God is sovereign. He doesn’t lie & He doesn’t change. He isn’t fickle & has proven that He can be trusted. You either believe what He says is 100% Truth, or you don’t. Those who do believe are instructed/called to live out the Biblical principles of honor, starting with Elohim Adonai – the Creator God who rules.
This is foundational to all of life! Anchored in Jesus Christ as my Life, honor should be an overflow from my life that blesses others in positions of authority, both living & those who’ve gone ahead to glory. It’s never too late to be a hope-filled example to others in your spheres of influence. Our lives always tell a story. Hopefully, it’s His!
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