Give Honor Where Honor Is Due

 To honor someone means to appreciate, recognize and consider them. When was the last time you took time out of your day to honor God? Others? When we honor God and others, we show appreciation and thanks. We let them know that we appreciate who they are and what they do. We're saying we notice you and we care. We should show honor from the heart. Earlier this week, we celebrated Veterans Day in which individuals were shown appreciation for their years of service in the military. To anyone who may be reading that served or currently serves in the military, we thank you for your service. Giving honor goes a long way. First, let's look at how we can honor God. God is the One who has given us life and allowed us to live to see this present moment. We honor God when we please Him and give thanks to Him. Every day, He deserves the honor. Even when our circumstances aren't always great, we serve a great God who is beside us all the way. We also need to honor God in our words and actions. Speaking helpful, kind, loving and encouraging words pleases Him. Being polite and respectful to others also pleases Him. How we live from day to day matters. Every day, we need to spend time with Him in His Word and prayer. Just like we find time to check our social media posts and emails, we should check in with God even more. Our social media posts and messages need to honor God. If we have to question whether God would be pleased with what we just said, did, thought, or posted, then chances are He probably wasn't.  We have to represent God in all we do. Not only should we honor God, but we should honor people. It doesn't have to be posted all over social media or done in front of a crowd of people. Now there's nothing wrong with doing those things if our motives are pure and right. Honoring others could mean telling them thank you, giving a gift, card, or letter, sending them an email or text, or praying for them. With everything going on in our world right now, taking time to appreciate someone would mean a lot and go a long way. If your parents are still here with you, make sure you take time to honor them (Exodus 20:12). Reach out to them in some way to let them know you love them and are thinking about them. You only get one Mom and one Dad. My parents are not here anymore and I miss them so much. I am so thankful for them being the best Mom and Dad they were and teaching my brother and I right values. They were both so wonderful inside and out. I think about all the things I would tell them if they were still here. I cherish the memories and moments we had together. In addition to our parents, let's also honor our service men and women, neighbors, coworkers, grocery store and restaurant workers, classmates, friends, family members, mail carriers, pastors, coaches, teammates, mentors, neighbors, hairstylists, barbers, bank tellers, librarians, first responders (fire, police and rescue personnel). There are so many more we could add to the list, but let's remember to honor God and all those He has placed in our life. Don't take anyone for granted and know that your "thank you" can go a long way!

I want to take this time to thank all of you for your support, encouragement, and prayers. It means a lot and I appreciate each of you! 2020 has been the toughest season of my life, but I've also seen some of my greatest blessings come out of it (I became a published author!). Let's keep going on our journey and see what God has on the other side! God bless you!