We decided to get away for a bit and travelled to KwaZulu-Natal with the caravan. I’ve never been there and was amazed by the natural beauty and how green it was. Our wonderful country is made up of so many different and beautiful regions!

I was really touched by the friendliness of the people. Everywhere you go people want to help you, and nothing is too much trouble. Everybody has a smile on their face.

What I noticed most was the way in which they showed respect. Every time you hand something over, whether it is money to a cashier or a form you have to complete, they take it with their left hand touching their right arm. That is the way they show respect to you.

Every time I saw it, it made me feel embarrassed. Who am I to receive so much respect from them each time? I wanted to show them respect too, but felt so awkward.

All of us should learn such a gesture and show everybody respect. Whether it’s an important man or woman or an ordinary or poor person, we who are God’s children should always act respectfully to all people.

But we don’t always get it right. Just look at your own life. We easily act with good manners towards people in authority or with high status or with loads of money. Then we go out of our way to treat them with respect.

But when poor people come knocking at the door, we shut the door in their faces and chase them away. I’m not saying we should give money to everyone who comes begging. All we should do is treat that person with respect too.

That’s what Jesus did. Jesus did not treat people based on their status or how much money they had. He looked past that and saw their heart. That must be why He tended to be involved with poor people, because the hearts of the others may not always have been so pure.

¹My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. (The Message)

1My fellow believers, do not practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of partiality [toward people—show no favouritism, no prejudice, no snobbery]. (Amplified Bible)

The Greek word, prosōpolēpsia, translated here as “with an attitude of partiality”, can also be translated as “treat with respect”. Because you see, when you treat someone with respect, you are not influenced by how they look on the outside.

It’s not that easy. We tend to easily treat those people who look good and who are very successful with respect, but not those who struggle and are in trouble. We must work on this, because we who believe in Jesus Christ, must practice what He preached, and treat everyone with respect. Let’s try it.

Scripture
James 2:1-7

Reflection
Do you respect all?
Is it easier for you to respect some more than others?
How can you change that?

Prayer
Father, I struggle with this one. I struggle to show respect to all people in the same way. Please help me with this. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.