What does honor mean to you? Do you honor others? Do you only honor those who are in high-ranking positions? Does someone need to do something special for you to honor them? Do you honor your parents?
To honor someone else is to treat them with high respect. It does not mean we falsely put them on a pedestal, but we do give them a high level of respect for who they are. Some may say we should honor everyone. We should certainly treat everyone with respect.
Honor also means holding someone in high esteem. In other words, even though we do not put them on a pedestal, we grant them higher respect than everyone else. We put more credence in their advice than others. We listen patiently, even if we have heard the story multiple times.
If we take a few moments to look at the ten commandments, honoring our parents is the only commandment that comes with a promise. That is just how important honoring our parents is to God. Holding our parents in high esteem, treating them with high respect does not mean we must always agree with them. It does mean we do speak to them in respectful tones. When we disagree, we speak calmly and rationally. We do not raise our voice to our parents.
Notice the promise is so that it will go well with us. If we want to live a life of joy, we are to honor our parents. We may still hit rough patches, but we do not have that nagging guilt of disrespecting our parents. We might say that by treating everyone with respect our lives increase in joy and are less stressful.
I pray we all honor our parents. I pray we view them with high esteem. I pray we treat our parents with a high level of respect and find that we have more enjoyment in life. Honor your parents. Treat them with respect. Hold them in high esteem. Reap the reward. Obey God.
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Marty Pressey 