"Respect Me"

“Respect Me”

Posted by Missy on July 14, 2011
Written on May 15, 2011

Everyone wants to be respected, and everyone wants to be loved.  But more often then not, we as women let ourselves be trampled down and used.  We can find ourselves in a far removed place from the respect that we would like to be shown by those around us.


On the other hand, I have seen many women who demand respect.  They will do anything to get it, even if it means hurting and trampling everyone in their path.  They fight for the top position and often claim that women are not only equal to men, but are even better than a man could ever be.  Are they respected?  Many are.  But what kind of respect do people give to a woman who has fought her way to the top?  It’s certainly not the good kind.  
Wait… There’s a good kind of respect and a bad kind?  What’s the difference?

There is a huge difference.  The bad kind of respect is what you get when you demand to be respected.  Yes, people respect you and do what you say, but it’s only because they know if they don’t, that you have the power to bring them harm in one way or another.  

So what’s the good kind of respect?  This kind of respect is paid in abundance to women who strive to live out the fruits of the Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.   A woman worthy of respect does her best to avoid envy, boasting, pride, rudeness, selfishness, and revenge.  So in other words, women who are worthy of respect are not even striving to obtain it!  The woman written about in Proverbs 31:10-31 is an amazing example of a highly respected woman who has gained her respect from her character and not by fighting her way to the top.


“She is far more precious than jewels.”
“The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.”
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”
“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:”
"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." 
“Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.”

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These are only a few verses that give you a glimpse of the “good” kind of respect that I am referring to.  In the verses that I have not quoted here, this passage goes into more depth on the kind of woman that would gain such praise.   Such a woman was certainly not seeking to make people respect her, and yet, she is respected, honored, and loved in great abundance.


One thing I love about this approach to gaining good respect, is the realization that we can never achieve such a thing on your own.  It is only through submitting ourselves to Christ in humility, and striving to put others before our own wants and desires that we can ever obtain this kind of respect.  But it is worth it.