1 Peter 2:17
Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Mr. Williams lived alone in a small two-room shanty across an alley behind our house. If he had family, they never came to visit. He was a quiet man who mainly kept to himself when he wasn’t working at the fairgrounds. Although it didn’t impress me when I was growing up, now I’d love to have the 1952 Chevrolet pickup truck he drove around town.

Growing up, I watched as my parents demonstrated great respect for Mr. Williams and taught me to do the same. Every holiday we would fill a plate with food and walk it over to his home. Even after my dad died and my mom moved to the other side of town, we still delivered holiday meals to Mr. Williams. And he was always grateful. Often, he reciprocated with a large bag of vegetables from his garden. When Mr. Williams died, my mom and two others attended his simple and short memorial service.    

Certainly, we are to demonstrate love to believers. We are to live in reverence and awe of God. We are to show honor to those placed in authority over us. And…don’t miss the first two words of this verse…we are to show proper respect to everyone. I am thankful my parents taught me how to do that by honoring our neighbor, Mr. Williams.

Father, help us show respect to everyone, not just those whose acquaintance we might believe to be beneficial. As parents, help us teach this truth to our children by demonstrating how it is done. In Jesus’ name. Amen.