"...Jackson said that he asked Michael Jordan to talk to Kobe Bryant shortly after Jordan's second retirement in 1999. One might expect a young player to be a bit star-struck when meeting a legend like Jordan, but this is Kobe Bryant we're talking about here. Jackson said the first thing that Kobe said to MJ upon meeting him was ''I could kick your ass one-on-one.'' " [ESPN]
Kobe's comment was most certainly said in jest but the fact that He thought it ok to approach Jordan in this way says something about his view of reality. Even though this was one of the first times He was meeting the living basketball legend in this way, he thought his status was worthy of being able to joke with Jordan. We who grew up in the "Jordan era" know that Kobe should have had a more humble posture.
This is not a personal attack on Kobe. There is no scandal that came of this story but this story has everything to do with how we view honor. After doing an exercise with my staff team on defining honor, we came up with the following list.
When we did a deep introspection of our hearts we realized that our generation that is largely enthusiastic about independence and proving ourselves(this may be more related to our age), honor can be fleeting. But honor is a chief character trait that we need in order to fully engage the calling of God on our lives. Why? Because there are those who lead us who are God's prophet's in our lives, those who have seen more of God's grace and power simply because they have been around longer. But also, because their lives show they are leaders who God has gifted us with and who are worthy of being admired. We realized that our want to be honored can sometimes cause us to kill the leaders in our lives. Not physically but, even worse, in our hearts. And what is in the heart can always be noticed on the surface even with the best cover job.
But where does honor come from? Is it earned? Are we called to honor everyone? I like Paul's words in Ephesians 5:21-6:9. He tells wives to submit to their husbands, children to honor their parents, slaves to honor their masters("obey with respect"). Likewise, husbands are told to love their wives like Christ loved the Chruch, parents are told not to irritate their children, and masters are told to treat their slaves with respect and fear(some inductive study in needed to see this). There is honor through out this passage and I believe Paul is very intentional in making sure these aren't "if then" statements. Honor is not earned neither is it conditional upon recieving it. In the kingdom, it comes from Jesus. Paul says to submit(honor) to each other out of reverence for Christ and even ends these verses by saying to masters that "you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven..." Honor ultimately comes from an honoring of God. Even though we could respect those who have come before us by their accomplishments alone(many of those I honor most have lived lives that merit more respect than I can give), we choose to see deeper than that. We choose to recognize that God has placed a special authority in them that should be honored. We choose to recognize our own short comings and that we can never measure up to the standards our hearts put on those we view as leaders in our lives. We recognize that we need prophets who have seen more of God knowing that this does not equate to our relationship with God being worth less. We choose to get out of our heads and out of God's way and honor those who challenge us, push us, teach us, who, with love, help us grow out of shame into humility, out of hurt into toughness, and out of immaturity into unshakeable passion.
In the age of the "selfie" we want to be those who constantly take pictures of the sky because there is a God beyond who deserves our full attention. Maybe my generation's greatest achievement will be to get out of the picture so that our heads won't be in the center but rather God or those who God has placed in our lives. We will be those who make frames for these pictures and who hang them in the most honorable place in our hearts. In the name of Jesus.
Thank you for this post. I have one question though: what is the difference between honor and obedience? When it comes to an authority asking you to do something that is unbiblical or spews insults at you, where does one draw the line when we are called to both love our enemies and yet stand on the Word? I always wondered this when it comes to abusive relationships, and where does "turning the other cheek" shift from something selfless to foolish.
ReplyDeleteLexi! Awesome questions. There are abusive leaders who we should not obey and who we should actually pursue their removal. In some cases, these are leaders who have committed detestable sins against children or helpless people in their lives. In other cases, these are leaders who just lead us away from God. When a leader explicitly leads us to sin or go away from God's will, they are no longer Godly leaders in our lives(read MLK's letter from Burmingham Jail to see how he approached leaders who were out of God's will). I believe we are to follow Jesus' method in Matthew 18. For the repentant leader in our lives we pursue restoration for them. For the unrepentant, we follow Jesus' outline(read Matthew 18:15-20. Read the whole chapter for context).
DeleteHonor comes in how we approach the leader. But not only leaders but anyone who has wronged us. Do we slander their name? Do we kill them in our hearts? Do we publicly shame them? Or can we look at their brokeness with compassion? I believe when we do, we see more of what God sees. This is honorable.
"Turning the other cheek" was an illustrative metaphor used by Jesus to go against the "eye for an eye" train of thought. Turning the other cheek, in one sense, is offering your compassion. Jesus says "do not resist and evil person". This is hard and often taken as a final action that excludes all other actions. I believe we can exhort leaders(1 Timothy 5:1) while also persevering with them(turning the other cheek). This is honoring.
If I am honest, I have mostly encountered leaders who I strongly disagree with. No sin is involved but I may disagree with an idea or "their way of doing things." I believe honor needs to be remembered with this type of situation the most.
In looking at the subject of honor there are two major things I've learned to carry in my heart.
1. How I judge(Matt 7) those around me(especially leaders) should be equal to how I would want to be judged. Anything other than this is hypocritical.
2. God is the ultimate voice when it comes to honor. Even if someone is removed from leadership, God may still call us to walk with them in their restoration. This is honorable.
Hope this helps.
Or, better yet, is there a line? Christ was not a doormat, and yet He died for His enemies. He tells us to love our enemies, and yet He withheld information until the timing was right to tell it. He didn't always give people a straight answer either. Just a curious daughter seeking ways to live better for the Lord. My generation does need to learn honor, I do agree. It doesn't fit with our instant-gratification strategy.
ReplyDeleteI like to say that Christ was a doormat and a gate at the same time. Someone who protects those around him even if they walk over him. Jesus doesn't mind our grime. He can take it. In fact, even if we walk on him, he will wash the same feet that left mud in his face. This is Jesus washing the feet of Judas. What allows him to do this? I believe the answer is in the first part of John 13: "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power". Because Jesus had this close relationship with his father, he could honor each of His disciples. I believe we learn from the disciples in this passage. We are learners. Not perfect but striving to be more like our Lord. I appreciate your questions and admire your willingness to do some soul searching in response to the post. Stay curious, Lexi. God is more than excited to meet you in your curiosity.
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