I loved this article on Honor! Honor is something that needs to be recaptured as part of the ethos which marks Christian Maturity. Honor is shaped on our journey of "Orthopathy." We miss this in our churches because we are so committed to Orthodoxy (Right Thinking), and we skip right to (Orthopraxy), that the emotional aspects of our development get ignored. This article was excellent.
"To honor is to refuse to violate the will, intent, and purpose of another in the name of dignity." The Lord never ceases to amaze me with His timing. I needed this today. My take away: regardless if people honor me or not, I will honor them because honoring them will bring glory to our wonderful Savior, Jesus! This is freedom!
I’ve been told that sometimes you have to let someone hit themselves with a hammer when they tire of you trying to protect them. I can see that as acting in honor, though it saddens me to do it.
Hi AJ, this is really good. It gave me a lot to think about and I appreciate it. It was a new thought to me that God honors people by allowing them to make a choice. I’ve always used the word generosity instead of honor to explain God’s gift of choice to people. What I then struggle with is that if you say, he honors people by giving them the choice to choose him, then it seems to me to be counter his nature to then punish them in a physical lake of fire for them to burn for all eternity. Because that doesn’t seem very honoring. Now I could see that hell would be a separation from God because that’s what people chose but if people believe that hell is an actual lake of fire where people are burning and physically suffering for eternity for me that would be a hard stretch. I haven’t worked out what hell is what it isn’t. I was taught my whole life that it was a literal burning lake of fire and now I’m comfortable with not really having hell figured out. But I just then I’m struggling with that thought of God honoring people and then allowing them to physically suffer for eternity.
Oh my goodness, Mel. What a fabulous response—and set of questions. I feel you deserve a direct response. Send me an email and let me see if I can put my pen to paper on this one. Such a sacred, vulnerable question.
I loved this article on Honor! Honor is something that needs to be recaptured as part of the ethos which marks Christian Maturity. Honor is shaped on our journey of "Orthopathy." We miss this in our churches because we are so committed to Orthodoxy (Right Thinking), and we skip right to (Orthopraxy), that the emotional aspects of our development get ignored. This article was excellent.
Thanks so much, A.J. This is helpful all around. I will never forget Mary's mic drop.
Thanks, brother! Mary’s Mic Drop. That sounds like a good album title, right?
"To honor is to refuse to violate the will, intent, and purpose of another in the name of dignity." The Lord never ceases to amaze me with His timing. I needed this today. My take away: regardless if people honor me or not, I will honor them because honoring them will bring glory to our wonderful Savior, Jesus! This is freedom!
I have had to do this very thing with my children, honoring by letting go. Thank you for these encouraging words.
"He does not force, coerce or manipulate." He does set some time limits and occasionally remove opportunities. Still, He is just the best.
I’ve been told that sometimes you have to let someone hit themselves with a hammer when they tire of you trying to protect them. I can see that as acting in honor, though it saddens me to do it.
Hi AJ, this is really good. It gave me a lot to think about and I appreciate it. It was a new thought to me that God honors people by allowing them to make a choice. I’ve always used the word generosity instead of honor to explain God’s gift of choice to people. What I then struggle with is that if you say, he honors people by giving them the choice to choose him, then it seems to me to be counter his nature to then punish them in a physical lake of fire for them to burn for all eternity. Because that doesn’t seem very honoring. Now I could see that hell would be a separation from God because that’s what people chose but if people believe that hell is an actual lake of fire where people are burning and physically suffering for eternity for me that would be a hard stretch. I haven’t worked out what hell is what it isn’t. I was taught my whole life that it was a literal burning lake of fire and now I’m comfortable with not really having hell figured out. But I just then I’m struggling with that thought of God honoring people and then allowing them to physically suffer for eternity.
Oh my goodness, Mel. What a fabulous response—and set of questions. I feel you deserve a direct response. Send me an email and let me see if I can put my pen to paper on this one. Such a sacred, vulnerable question.