I Have To Honor Whom?

March 1, 2020 by  
Filed under Faith, Faith Articles

By Candace McQuain –

Steve Jobs, Former CEO of Apple, once said, “My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better.”

Mr. Jobs’ passion for his employees was evident. He worked hard to bring out the best in those who worked for him.

So many managers do not.

I’m positive that at one time or another we’ve all had “that” boss, someone who just made our workday the worst. They had no people skills, no knowledge of the work we were doing and made us ask ourselves every day, “How did that person get where they are?” Of course, we all have our own hypothesis. Some quite funny and some very disturbing, but at the end of the day we just couldn’t get a hold of why they were managers at all.

The reality is, it doesn’t matter why or how they got into the position they did. They were appointed that position of authority by the Lord and we are to honor and respect them because of that alone. I know. Believe me, I know. It’s so hard to swallow that whether or not they deserve one iota of honor and respect or not, we are to give it to them. Why, oh why?  The answer is clear and can actually be quite motivational. Although we are directly working for an earthly being, we are ultimately serving our Lord.

I know from experience giving this type of honor is much easier said than done. The truth is, it’s so easy to defend our “not-so-nice” thoughts about our less than savory boss because we feel in our heart that God would not want us to be treated badly. God’s truth though is this, “7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do”  (Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV).

Maybe you’re dealing with management issues that go deeper than lack of knowledge or people skills, maybe your boss is just plain rude and disrespectful. Well my friend, the outcome Jesus expects is still the same. Take this to heart though, you do not have to respect and honor the “person” you are working for, you are to respect and honor the “position” in which the Lord put that person in. When we look at it from that perspective, it takes a little of the sting out doesn’t it?

So, the next time you feel like you’re about to loose it and go crazy over something your boss says, doesn’t say or does or doesn’t do, just know that at the end of the day when you’ve done all you can to honor that person, you are honoring your Heavenly Father and you will be rewarded for it.

Still not quite feeling warm fuzzies for your boss yet? That is completely understandable. Honoring someone who you feel is not deserving of that honor is tough, even with God’s powerful words commanding it. Just know that as we are commanded to honor those who are above us, Ephesians 6:9 goes on to address how they are to honor us. There is quite a lesson for your boss on the topic of honoring you as well.

About Candace McQuain

Candace McQuain is a mother of 4 beautiful children located in North Carolina where providing support, encouragement and knowledge to her fellow brothers and sisters who are struggling or new to their faith is her passion (www.candacemcquain.com). Her love and obedience to Jesus is the center of her life and is what keeps her motivated and her faith strong!
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Comments

One Response to “I Have To Honor Whom?”
  1. Alan Mowbray says:

    Nailed it! This is a theme that has to be taught to our children and others who haven’t the benefit of good teaching.
    On of the things I tell college grads when they’re ready to conquer the world is their number one job description – making their boss/company look good.
    Honor is the number one ingredient in that process.

    As a country we’ve been lax in teaching honor. It’s time we got back into that groove.
    Good word, Candace!

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