R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
I went to lunch the other day. It was a hamburger place where you walk up to the cashier and place your order. Behind the counter was a kid that was probably about 16 years old. After I placed my order he said "thanks bud." I about jumped over the counter to explain to him who he was calling 'bud." He would have killed me, but he wouldn't make that mistake again. After I cooled down, it was pretty funny.
That particular incident caused me to think about respect. I immediately thought of the verse in Leviticus that instructs us to "rise in the presence of the aged and respect our elders." In today's society, we don't honor our elders like our elders honored their elders. I remember how my dad treated people older than him. He seemed to understand that they were due respect because many of these men and women had gone through two wars and a Great Depression. He was especially respectful around veterans of war, those men that had fought with him in WW2.
My mom would make weekly visits to the nursing home where my dad died because she respected and loved the residents. Even though they didn't remember who they were, my mom did. For years, she would stop by and talk to them, play games with them and comfort them. They were her elders and she honored them.
I have to ask myself that same question now that I am elder. Do I honor those men and women who have gone before me? Could I call Owen Goff, one of our most respected founders of Fellowship Church "bud?" It's seems like a sin just thinking about it. Next time I see Doris Scoggins, another founder of Fellowship Church, should I call her "mama?" She may hit me! HA! Our ushers and greeters do a great job of looking out for elderly people who may be having a hard time negotiating through our crowds. We try to get to them and help them out. We have wheelchairs available and a plan to get our elderly in and out quickly.
Parents, we have got to do a better job of teaching our children respect for their elders. Maybe we need to demonstrate respect in front of our kids. God will honor our families if we show respect to our aged and elders. If they don't respect you, why would they respect someone else? The kid at the restaurant is probably a pretty good kid, he's just lacking in respect. I don't even want to admit I am his elder, but sadly I am.
Students, you are commanded to respect those who are in authority over you, and in most cases that's people older and more experienced than you. You don't have to like them, just respect them. One day, when you're standing in a line and someone calls you "bud," you'll know what I am talking about.
