And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”

Exodus 20:1-7

My wife, LaDonna, and I have had several conversations over the past year or two regarding the matter of respect. She works in an elementary school with kindergarteners and first graders where she says she sees a lack of respect in many of the little tykes that grace the classrooms where she is privileged to work. The teachers and aides and others at school are working hard to teach the children to respect authority figures at school such as teachers, secretaries, the principal and other adults. In addition they try to train the children to respect one another. She says that it is very hard to overcome the attitudes and values these kids learn at home. When some of the parents visit the school, it is easy to see why the children seem to have no respect for others.

I have often heard friends and others relate stories about times they misbehaved at school. The punishment they received at school was often lighter than what was dished out at home when mom & dad heard about the incidents. The parents backed up the disciplinary actions of principals and teachers. Unfortunately, that is not always true today. Many schools are so afraid of a lawsuit that they won’t even paddle a child anymore. What has happened to respect for authority? Can we no longer teach self-control and restraint? Is it the fault of lawyers and judges? Is it the fault of the schools and churches in our communities? Or should we look closer to home for the solution?

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