What is Honor? Why is honor important? Is it something to be earned or bestowed or both?
IN the series of the Seven Pillars, Humility is strategically placed before honor.
Proverbs 15:33 “Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.”
Honor therefore is placed upon someone when that person has walked through the pillar of humility. There is no other way to truly be honored.
Some people try and earn honor or even take honor because of a position they hold. They cannot receive real honor because they have taken the short cut to honor.
Honor is Forged in Secret.
Honor never has to blow it’s own whistle, it is forged in secret, when no one knows, and when no one is looking. It shapes men and women when they are alone, and when no one knows they exist. The person who is usually touting their own successes never really receive true honor. They have their reward in their own mouths.
You Know People You Honor
Honor isn’t demanded, it’s bestowed upon the one’s who have walked in the way of brokenness and humility. It is the badge worn by those who have spent time in battle; for those with scars and those who walk with a limp. No one has to demand honor of this kind of person. There is a simple humility about them. They never have to tout their accomplishments or be the “one upper” kind of person. That person is really just insecure.
Honor isn’t Demanded, it is Quietly Earned
I have met many people who, because of the position they hold, automatically think because that position is held or has been given (and in some cases taken) they demand honor to be given to them, however they have never been forged in secret. I can tell you that it is very difficult to honor someone that hasn’t walked through the halls of humility and the liminality of obscurity. The Hebrew word for Honor means Heavy or Weighty. It is defined as a responsibility, and it requires the shoulders of one who has been tested through the fires of humility. So should we honor those who obviously haven’t walked the way of humility? It has always been said that we should honor the position that one holds, but not necessarily honor the person that holds it. I am not sure how to make that distinction. If we honor the position and not the person, are we then being hypocritical or do we simply go through the motions of honor, when we really know the person hasn’t really earned it? Again, it’s like the elephant in the room. Everyone seems to know that honor hasn’t been bestowed on such a one, but we seem to continue to go through the motions anyway. I am reminded of the show “Band of Brothers” The initial leader of Easy Company was an idiot and everyone knew it, they followed him to some places that put their lives in jeopardy, but it was because of the position that he held. However, honor and respect was really given the soft spoken Major Winters, and in time, he proved to be the real leader, and the men honored him. It didn’t mean he was perfect or didn’t make mistakes, it simply meant that he walked with a certain robe of humility, knowing who he truly was.
It seems the theme of honor is always in the context of what has been given,
Proverbs 29:23 “Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.”
Never taken…
1 Peter 5:6 “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.”
“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” ~ Calvin Coolidge
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