Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; do the same for them. Luke 6:31 (VOICE)
Respect can be shown in both obvious and subtle ways. You can honour those around you by the words you speak, but as we discussed yesterday, you can also demonstrate respect by your use of manners and through your tone of voice and body language.
But did you know that you also communicate respect by honouring the rules around you?
A while ago I was standing in a very long airport security line that was moving very slowly. I had been waiting for quite some time when a man dressed in a suit, briefcase in hand, went right to the front of the line. As we all stood there in shock, he muttered something like, “Sorry, but I just can’t miss my plane.”
I’m sure there were several other people in line who were concerned about missing their plane as well, but this man seemed to have no concern for them. He completely disregarded the rules and did what suited him best.
I’m sure this wasn’t his intention, but through that one action, he communicated disrespect to every person waiting in line. The family behind me could have been going to their grandma’s funeral. A mother in that line may have been trying to get to her daughter who was in the middle of a life-threatening operation. Yet his actions communicated, “Whatever your issues are, mine are more important.”
When you respect the rules and consider others before acting, you make the people around you feel good. You treat others the way you would like to be treated. Honour people in this way; you’ll earn their respect and establish good relationships, which means you will also tend to be treated better by others.