The Bible tells us to respect each other. Employers are to respect their employees, employees their employers, husbands their wives, wives their husbands, children their parents, church members their pastors, and all of us our elders. Respect means to honor or value. It isn’t hard to respect someone who does things we respect, but it is incredibly difficult to respect someone who is acting in a way that is unrespectable.

How do you treat someone respectably when you don’t respect their actions?

Here are six ways:

1. You respect the position and treat the person in a way that acknowledges who he/she is to you.

2. You acknowledge what is right. This will help you have a balanced view that includes both the good and bad things in the relationship.

3. You set boundaries about the things that are unacceptable. Valuing people means you love them by standing up for what is good for them and the relationship.

4. You speak the truth about the things that have to be confronted in a way that is respectful (i.e. not nagging, yelling, berating. or shaming). Just state your own truth clearly and simply, in a non-condescending tone, at the right time.

5. You do your part in the relationship, even if the other person doesn’t. This shows you continue to value the relationship, even though you don’t accept the wrong behavior.

6. You treat the person as a human being that deserves good things rather than treating him/her with disdain or contempt. No matter what other people do, they are still human beings, loved and valued by God.

By Karla Downing

Relationship Devotional Prayer

 
God,

Help me treat all the people in my life with respect—even those who don’t deserve my respect.

Relationship Devotional Challenge

• Think of a difficult loved one whose behavior you don’t respect.
• Look at the list to identify how you can change your behavior to show this person respect.

Scripture Meditation

 
1 Peter 2:17a

“Show proper respect to everyone” (NIV).

Romans 13:10a

“Love does no harm to its neighbor” (NIV).