Kim,

I couldn't agree more, so well put.

We sometimes have to show patience and await God's intervention. We can pray and have patience and He will provide.

Roger

Respect is a great subject.  I've read many of the comments here & there are oh so many great points.  Respect is essential & sometimes I've heard people say that you can't demand respect, that it's earned.  I pretty much agree with that, but I would also say that people sometimes take advantage of you if you don't let them know that you command respect. 

Maybe that's the difference in demanding it or commanding it.  One denotes someone saying "you will treat me the way that I say or else," but  someone who commands respect, does it by the simple action of not allowing others to manipulate them.  This comes from a place of power. Not power over others, but power over ones own emotions that would want to have power over others, and when we can do this we not only respect ourselves, but we are respecting the rights of others individuality to feel or think in a certain way. 

 This is self respect & someone who has self respect in this way, is someone who has my respect, without demanding it! Hmm...did this make sense?  I think so. 

One who commands respect has a certain mature &  calm demeanor about them. They appear almost regal because of their self-respect & seem to rise above bickering and quarrels, etc.  They can disagree without being disagreeable, & let you know

Thanks for allowing me to post here and for this ongoing thread about respect.

Cheryl :-)

Yes, I Love it....that sometimes our hope is to pray and await God's intervention, and there is no doubt at all, that if we ask he will intervene.  One big reason we drudge along in futile effort is because ...we forgot to ask!  We just about drain ourselves in our own efforts sometimes until in our hopelessness we beg God for help, when we could have simply asked long ago.

Oh Cheryl....You are working here on explaining the virtuous side of Respect....yes, we get it!  We can possess it and show it even when we are not respected!  And like love, it's hard for people to continue to disrespect you when only return respect to them....why?  Same reason it's hard for people to continue to hate you when you only love them....these Virtues come with power!  And as you say, not the kind of human power that attempts to save itself or lord itself over other people, but the power of heaven that is invested in the virtues that come from heaven in the first place....and in the people who walk in them.

You explained it well though....and I enjoyed...because I so enjoy even hearing from minds and hearts that possess and believe in the virtues...just hearing such seems to give you some Life!                            love you all,  Kim

Hi Alain,

I appreciate the thread you've started here & I wanted to address your question that you started out with...

"Do you think that Respect has something to do with Making a Difference?" I definitely do, & I don't know if everyone has seen the short movie that you posted "Making A Difference",  & it's  a beautiful example of really making a difference.  To anyone who hasn't watched this please watch it.  It so meaningful.

http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com

Whether we are a teacher or in some other profession, many times there are people around us who we don't understand at all. We only look at the outside and we don't see the real person there.   If what we see is unkept or disheveled we may look with disdain, disgust or indifference upon that person.   We don't say anything in so many words, but our actions speak clearly to the heart of the person we are rejecting.  We don't have to tell them..."I'm rejecting you or I don't want to be bothered," but they know, oh yes...they know!  How many times have we all been guilty of this?  I know I have, & watching the movie clip helped me was a reminder of just how wrong these attitudes are.

When the teacher in the movie took the time to understand what was going on with Teddy, she made a huge mental shift & what happened was so impactful for the young boy, that it shaped his life & what he believed he could accomplish. 

Since the teacher made the shift, she was able to view Teddy in a very different way & what she discovered must have really brought  pure joy to her.  She never would have discovered this if she had continued doing things as usual. 

Thank you,

Cheryl

What a bittersweet story it was!  And yes, what a great lesson about how we make a difference, regardless whether we show respect or don't; either way we are making a difference.  I guess maybe we don't always think about the difference we make in other's lives when we aren't thinking about it and/or are responding negatively.  This awareness seems to place a responsibility on us for all our actions and responses; it seems to tell us that at no time are we free to be indifferent; ofcourse we are free to choose in any case if we care about how we affect other people. If the teacher would have been indifferent toward the boy it may have spared him some extra pain in his life but it wouldn't have made the difference that the active response did.  This I think is worth thinking about as we move in our lives among people.

                                            Alain is such a great topic creator!  Kim

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