Dear Sonny & Samuel,

As I consider all that you need for your future, honor is at the top of the list. As a Christian, you’ll hear again and again that you are to honor your father and mother. That command comes with a promise of blessing and long life, but to carry it out you need to understand what honor is.

Honor is not lip-service, it’s a way of life. I can write words on a page about it, but you’ll mainly learn by example. I hope and pray to be a good example — to live in a way that I wouldn’t be ashamed for you to follow. I want you to have a better understanding of what honor is than I did. God is teaching me that to live honorably, you need humility, wisdom and courage.

Humility

Pride and deceit are the opposite of humility. An honorable life isn’t a perfect life, but it’s an honest one. It isn’t dishonorable to fail, it’s dishonorable and prideful to refuse to acknowledge it. It’s dishonorable and deceptive to blame and oppress others for the consequences of our own bad choices. It’s honorable to own them and do what’s right. By God’s grace, we can accept our own weaknesses and limitations, which in turn should make us gentle and patient with those under our influence and care.

“The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” -Proverbs 15:33 

Wisdom

In a world filled with deception, you need wisdom. Don’t be deceived about honor. I was led to believe that honor was loyalty to my authorities. But what if that authority is evil? Here is what I know — greedy and foolish men will pervert honor. They will try to lead you to believe that honor is the praise of them, regardless of their evil and destructive choices, and worse, they’ll lead you to go along with them. They use their strength to crush those under them rather than to protect them. This has been done throughout the history of mankind, greed and lust making tyrants in every sphere of life, from homes to government and worst of all — the church.

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.” -Proverbs 17:15

Many twist God’s Word to enslave and destroy the weak — to serve only themselves. They may have what seems to be an honorable public appearance, but never judge a man by his Sunday best. Judge him by his private life; by the way he treats women and children. Don’t go along with anyone who uses and abuses their strength and position to satisfy only themselves. No one should expect honor or loyalty based solely on their position, but rather how they use it.

“Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.” -Proverbs 26:1

Courage

Son, be strong. Don’t back down from doing what is right even if it means standing alone against your nearest and dearest friends or family. Do what’s right, regardless of your feelings. You may suffer deep within yourself, but you’ll be rewarded. At the end of your life, you won’t be overwhelmed by shame and regret. Your conscience before God and others will be clear and those who come after you will be blessed.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord.” -Psalm 27:14

Don’t let anyone play on your compassion or confuse you about grace, mercy and forgiveness. These pearls are not to be wasted on those who practice evil with no effort to turn from it.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” -Matthew 7:6

We should have the habit of kindness and respect toward all people, but favor toward dishonorable men suppresses Truth, perverts justice and brings dishonor on you. You cannot both honor an evil man and your Lord. You have to choose one or the other. Choose to serve God alone and stand strong.

Fix Your Eyes On Jesus

Ultimately, your guide for living an honorable life is Jesus Christ. You follow His way and you will have lived the most honorable life possible; you will fulfill the commandment to “honor your father and mother”. If you do what is right in God’s sight, you will have done right by us and all others. The severest battleground you’ll ever stand on is the one you can’t see — the one for your soul that matters most. Christ has already won, but we still have to fight to stand firm on His side in this life, especially deep within ourselves. Always serve Him first. In this way, you’ll not fail to have served your country, your family, your friends, yourself — even your enemies, well.

I love you, my sweet & strong sons.

Mama =)

Spring 2018 ~ Blue Ridge Parkway