But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Mark 6:4 (NKJV)
Honour is often the first thing to go in families.
Jesus said that prophets are not honoured among their own relatives, but this is often true in families as well. A mom may be valued at work for what she brings to the company and yet be underappreciated at home. A dad might be celebrated by the community for his involvement, and yet feel taken for granted by his spouse and kids. The reality is that it’s easy to stop honouring those closest to you.
Sometimes you stop honouring because you’ve lost respect for the person. You’ve seen them at their worst. You know all of their flaws and mistakes, so it’s easy to forget about their strengths and lose respect.
When you lose respect for someone, you stop honouring them because honour is a product of respect. Respect is an internal feeling about someone. Honour involves how we show that feeling of respect.
Although there are legitimate reasons why a person might lose your respect, people often lose respect for each other over trivial things. In your relationships, you need to protect your heart by choosing your focus carefully. If you focus on people’s flaws and mistakes, you’ll lose respect for them and will do damage to the relationship.
No one is perfect. We all have a long list of weaknesses, but we also have strengths. When it comes to those closest to you, focus on the strengths. Remember all that you value about each person and then tell them how you feel. By honouring them this way, you’ll build strength into each relationship.