Honor Bound

I’ve been called a lot of things through the years, but SLOW is hardly ever mentioned.  I’m usually a quick study and even quicker with my one-liner comebacks that regrettably needed to be censored before spewing.  However, the past three weeks have been my mentally slowest three of all eternity.  I usually catch on to clue words that the Lord brings to my attention over and over.  But not this time.  Nope.  Tonight finally, the lightbulb went on and I put the puzzle pieces together in my own ritardando way.

I’m currently doing a Bible study with a group of women on Wednesdays and the book we are using is called The
Strength of Womanhood.  Believe it or not, I’m actually a few weeks ahead of schedule and I’m diligently trying to keep it that way.  Regardless, the study I did three weeks ago was titled “Clothed with Honor” about how a virtuous woman is clothed with strength and honor.  It discussed honor being given and received.  It listed many scriptures about giving honor to God. 

I realized that I didn’t fully understand how the word honor is used in the Bible, so I did a word study and discovered several synonyms: reverence, a feeling of deep respect, regard highly, admiration, respectful thought and to regard with pleasure.  I soaked in the new meaning in my mind and moved on.

I’m also working my way through a book called Becoming a Woman of Excellence and last week it spoke of Boaz honoring Ruth when he told her, “All my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence.”  Wow!  Again, I pondered and moved on.

Then my dad showed up at our house with a book in his hand and a bookmark on chapter four.  It is John Bevere’s book Honor’s Reward.  Coincidence?  I think not.  But did I catch on yet?  Of course not.  Dad was reading his way through the book but after completing chapter four, he brought it over for Rick and I to read.  It was about honoring authority.  It was excellent in showing how to attract God’s favor and blessing by honoring those who are and have been in authority over you.  It helped my thinking to be shaped more like Christ’s in this area.  But the honor lightbulb didn’t even flicker yet.

Tonight I went to a women’s dinner meeting with two of my friends at another church.  I haven’t been to it in several months, but tonight the topic was Honor in Marriage.  The examples given were excellent and the practical advice was fabulous and practical.  The best way for practical advice to be.  I STILL didn’t catch on…..  I’m usually not like this.

On my way home tonight, I was reviewing in my mind our school work for tomorrow…. cathedral visits, library stop, and then it dawned on me.  The unit we are studying for two weeks is Church Architecture…. in the character trait of Honor.  Daily I have been going over the definition of honor with my boys for over a week…. Honor: giving respect where it is due.  We chose our unit in June last year…. and God knew that I would be working on Honor in every area of my life in March 2010!  Wow!

SIX…. it took S-I-X different events where the word honor was brought before my eyes to realize that this needed some attention in my life.  Good grief!  God is so patient with us, as slow as we are sometimes.  Anyway, I’m working on giving respect where it is due.  Amen.

Tags: Bible, Bible study, Boaz, honor, Honor's Reward, Jesus, John Bevere, mom, mother, Ruth, The Strength of Womanhood, wife, word study