Respect

As promised (but a little later than planned), here is another short "blurb" post.

In recent months I have become troubled by a trend I am observing.  You see, I am quickly developing a grave concern over the lack of respect I see in “little” things.  Things like…

•          Kids running laughing and shrieking through the Sanctuary before and after church (and in some cases, during church)
•          Children who don’t stand and offer an adult their chair when there are not enough seats in the room
•          Adults who think it is funny when little kids say things like, “Shut up, Old Man” to their grandparents or other adults
•          Congregations who don’t show respect to the Word of God by standing for the reading of the Scripture text
•          Eating snacks (when you are over the age of 3) and drinking soda during church
•          Children who are baptized and then splash and play in the baptistery as though it were a swimming pool
•          People who laugh and talk the ENTIRE church service, completely disconnected from what God is trying to do
•          The titles Brother, Sister, Mister and Misses have dropped from our vocabulary and those of our children

Maybe I’m a little old fashioned…but I can’t help but believe we would be better served by teaching our kids these (and a few other) basic facets of respect.  They lay a foundation for the overall respect for authority, our elders, God, and His Word that will be required for them to successfully navigate life and a walk with God.