As fans and the media follow sports, decisions are made on which players are liked, respected, hyped, or cheered against. Sometimes the criteria make sense because of the players' performances and character, but other times they're given a bad reputation, overlooked, or discredited for unfounded reasons.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback, Derek Carr, has had some impressive numbers and shown an ability to be an effective franchise QB, but his team hasn’t won consistently. Because of this, it seems he’s lost a certain amount of respect.
During a recent press conference, Carr revealed how he feels about being disrespected:
"I have a lot to prove to myself. I have a lot to prove to my organization. I'm going to be completely honest with you: I'm tired of being disrespected."
Athletes can sense when they’re respected by fans, media, teammates, coaches, and even other players, but they can also experience disrespect as well. Oftentimes they use it as motivation, but the reality is nobody wants to be disrespected and it's not surprising Carr would say he’s tired of it.
Each one of us has most likely been hurt by others who have shown us disrespect - even by people we care about. Unfortunately, we can’t always control whether or not someone shows us respect.
However, as followers of Jesus who believe in the Bible, it’s our responsibility to understand the importance of not disrespecting others. This includes everyone - our spouse, spiritual leaders, parents, and the government.
1 Peter 2:17 (NLT) tells us to "Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.”
I appreciate the following explanation of disrespect on gotquestions.org: “In the Bible, disrespect is always a bad thing, and respect is universally a good thing. Respect is admiration for a person because of his or her position, abilities, qualities, or achievements. Respect is associated with esteem, regard, high opinion, admiration, reverence, deference, and honor.
In the Bible, respect is more specifically the act of acknowledging another person’s worth, especially because of position, honor, or age. Disrespect is the opposite of respect: it is failing to acknowledge another’s worth, withholding the honor that should be given, or actively demeaning someone.”
It can be challenging to respect certain people because of their behavior or character, but we’re called to respect them at the very least by valuing them as someone created in the image of God.
They do have worth and qualities that can be respected, so with humility and a proper view of God and His creation, we must even show respect to those who we feel haven’t earned our respect.
It also requires a loving heart and a willingness to obey what Jesus said in Matthew 5:44: “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”
There will continue to be times in our lives when we say, “I’m tired of being disrespected,” but what if we actually used those feelings as motivation to show others respect and love? Imagine the impact we could have.
Today, let’s respect God and His Word and ask Him to help us value everyone because He made us in His image. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please teach me to understand the importance of the call to respect everyone. Help me not to be so selfish and prideful that I’m disrespectful to those I deem unworthy of my regard or honor. I pray I’d learn to love well because of the love You show me. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What type of people do you have the toughest time respecting?
What happens when you feel disrespected by someone?
Why should we respect everyone?
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