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Honour others
It’s not just what we do that matters, but what we do for others. The happiest people are often those who spend their lives helping others. Paul writes, ‘Honour one another above yourselves.’ Honouring others means we need to respect them, listen to them, consider them, appreciate them, and encourage them. Sometimes we can put ourselves first and want to do things our way, even if it’s inconsiderate to others. Other times we can be so distracted by our own lives that we aren’t willing to be there for others, or to even listen to what they’ve got to say. Ever been telling someone about what you’ve achieved, and all they can do is say the amazing things they’ve done? It doesn’t feel good. So next time somebody shares their successes, we need to avoid jumping in and telling them something about ourselves, because when we do that, we minimise their joy, create distance between us, and everybody loses. Luke 6:31 says: ‘Do to others as you would like them to do to you’ (NLT). We need to be treating other people the way we would like to be treated – with respect and care. When we treat people this way two things happen: 1) The other person enjoys our company because they sense we’re really ‘there’ for them, instead of sitting on the edge of our seat waiting for our turn to speak. 2) They feel that instead of competing with them, we care about their success. Consequently our relationships grow stronger because we no longer need to grab all the attention and glory. Honouring others above ourselves can be challenging because our natural human instinct is to put ourselves first. But with God’s help we can be people who are willing and ready to respect and help others.
What Now?
Write down 10 things that you would like other people to do to you to make you feel respected and honoured. Choose one of those things to do for someone else today.
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