The Hidden Blessing of Honor(ing)

Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.   ⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Rom. 12:7-8




While running a couple of errands yesterday one of them entailed stopping by Target.  I wanted to run in and grab a new release or two for my family's entertainment purposes.   But what happened at the check out isle was a blessing from the Lord.   Now before you think I got the shortest line, or a miscalculated lower total (you may want to call that a blessing....uh no!), or even someone paid it forward for me (that would've been incredible) but none of those things happened.  I simply waited my turn in and when I was up to be served I simply responded to her greeting by saying, " I'm blessed Cassie, how are  you?"   Now some of  you are probably saying...." awh, Ray that's so you to communicate you're blessed....blah...blah...blah...."  but that wasn't even what excited this young girl.  Actually, I think she totally missed that....because what captured her attention, brightened her day was someone addressed her, responded to her by name.  Her actual response was elation, gittiness, with an even warmer smile, saying " WOW that just made my day!  You are the first person to call me by name all day." To which I responded, " Well of course Cassie, you're a person aren't you?"  She laughed and said, " of course I am, thank you."

Now this isn't about me, or making myself look like some super Christian.....remember she appeared to miss my little "blessed" thing.  This is about living the scripture and how something so simple gets so missed when we are focused on only ourselves, or consuming.....honoring one another which is the debt we have concerning every soul on this planet (born or unborn).  Paul encouraged the Roman believers to settle all debt....except the one love that is the one that you will ALWAYS owe to one another.   Cassie felt loved in that moment.   Do you make it a practice to seek out the name of the people that work at your local store?



The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 1Cor. 12:21-25



Paul addresses the Corinthian Church in the same regard because they began to treat one another differently based on their perceived level of importance and he sternly communicated that we are to give equal concern for one another, and not preferential treatment.  Cassie was not the president of Target, nor the supervisor, or team lead, but for 1min of her time....it changed her whole day (she said) simply because she felt appreciated/honored/acknowledged because she had a name, she wore a name badge, and someone addressed her by it. Simple huh?

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a responsibility to bless people with the 24hrs we have been given.   By design we actually have less than that because some of which we will spend sleeping....so what, how will, use today to glorify God and honor His creations (one anothers) today?   I know it's been a minute since my last blog.....but it's always about loving GOD, and loving people (LGLP2014<).....GOD BLESS