Yesterday, my nephew was huffing about the election of Obama. My son had been doing the same thing. These little boys knew who the adults around them had voted for, and they were disappointed by the loss. They weren’t sure what to do with their first defeat in an election.
I didn’t have the heart to tell them to get used to it.
I also didn’t say much to them as they growled about how they just “couldn’t believe it.” Mostly, I was amused at their burgeoning interest in the world around them. Not long ago, they were babes that thought of nothing other than food and play. Now here they were, expressing an interest in politics, of all things!
As they complained, I thought of Romans 13:7:
Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
The boys’ focus moved to some other subject, so I decided to let this conversation go for now, but I do think it is important to teach our children respect. Come January, Obama will be our president. He was elected fairly {as far as I can tell}, and it is my responsibility as an American to respect him. This is something that is lacking in our postmodern culture. We have this idea that respect must be earned. To some extent that is true. But we cannot forget that wonderful idea of hierarchy.
Some folks are to be respected because of the position they hold.
Sure, it is easier for me to respect a president with whom I agree {not that we’ve ever had one of those in the years I have voted}. But I must still respect and honor a president because of his office.
Does this mean we cannot disagree? Of course not. It is not disrespectful for me to critique Obama’s website or speeches. It is not disrespectful to think through what any ruler has done and whether or not it was right. But to say that he is not my president or to call him horrible names is to engage in disrespectful acts with which I should not be associated with as a Christian.
The Bible places an emphasis on honor. We are to honor our parents, regardless of how well we think they did their job. We women are to honor our husbands, even if we think they’re making a bad decision. Honor entails, among other things, respecting God’s order for the culture, even when we don’t agree with those who hold the positions of power.
So when the little ones around me are moping about the election, I think I will have to remind them that their new president is just that: their new president. And they should respect him because it is the right thing to do. Dissent can be accomplished without dishonor.
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