How We Can Show Da We Respect People?

1. Why everybody like for people to respect them? (Proverbs 22:1)

YOU like for people to respect you? Everybody like it. Why? Because every human being need respect. In fact, when people respect us, we can really feel good. Da why the Bible say, “to be respected is better than silver and gold”!—Read Proverbs 22:1.

2-3. Why it can’t always be easy to respect people and wetin we will learn in this article?

² Sometime, it can’t be easy to respect people. Da because they not perfect and they can make mistake. Beside da one, plenty people in the world today not get respect for other people. But we mon not be like them. Why? Because Jehovah want us to respect everybody.—1 Pet. 2:17.

³ In this article, we will learn what it mean to respect people and how we can respect (1) our family members, (2) our brothers and sisters in the congregation, and (3) people who not Jehovah Witness. We will talk more about how we can respect people even if it hard to do.

WETIN IT MEAN TO RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE?

4. Wetin it mean to respect other people?

⁴ Wetin respect mean? In some language, honor and respect can almost mean the same thing. How? “Respect” mean the way we can think about somebody. For example, when somebody get good-good quality or big position, the way we can think about them can show da we respect them. And “Honor” mean the way we can treat the person. For example, we can treat them in the way da show da they important and we value them. But it important for us to honor people because we really want do it.—Matt. 15:8.

5. Wetin can help us to respect other people?

⁵ Jehovah want us to respect other people. For example, he say we mon respect the people dem who ruling over us. (Rom. 13:​1, 7) But some people can say, “I can only respect people who can do the right thing.” You think it good to think like da? No. We mon not respect people base on what they can do or what they can’t do. But we mon respect people because Jehovah say we mon do it and we want make him happy.—Josh. 4:14; 1 Pet. 3:15.

6. It really possible to respect somebody who not respect you? Give example. (Also see the picture.)

⁶ Sometime, some people can be thinking, ‘It really possible to respect somebody who not respect you?’ Yes. Let look at some examples. King Saul talk to his son Jonathan bad way in front of other people. (1 Sam. 20:​30-34) But Jonathan still continue to respect his pa and join him to fight war to the end. (Ex. 20:12; 2 Sam. 1:23) High Priest Eli accuse Hannah da she wor drunk. (1 Sam. 1:​12-14) Everybody in Israel know da Eli children wor doing bad things and he wor not talking anything about it even though he wor high priest. But still, Hannah answer Eli respectful way. (1 Sam. 1:​15-18; 2:​22-24) Some men dem in Athens cuss the apostle Paul, and say he can “talk plenty.” (Acts 17:18) But Paul still show them respect. (Acts 17:22) All this example dem show da when we really love Jehovah and want make him happy, we will respect everybody even if it hard to do. Let talk about who dem we mon respect and why.

RESPECT THE PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY

7. Sometime, wetin can make it hard for us to respect people in our family?

⁷ Why it can be hard sometime? We can spend plenty time with the people in our family. Because of da, we know their good-good quality dem and the mistake dem they can make. Sometime, some of them can be sick or worrying too much, so it can’t be easy to take care of them. Some of our family member dem can say or do thing dem da can hurt us. We suppose to feel good when we with our family. But when people in the family not respect each other, they can’t be happy. And because of da, they can’t enjoy working together. We can compare the family to our body. When we sick, it can’t be easy for the different-different part of our body to work together. Da the same way if people in the family not respect each other, it can make it hard for them to enjoy working together. But just how plenty sickness get treatment, da the same way it possible for people in the family to learn how to respect each other.

8. Why it important to respect our family member dem? (1 Timothy 5:​4, 8)

⁸ Why we mon show respect? (Read 1 Timothy 5:​4, 8.) In the first letter Paul write to Timothy, he talk about how people in the family mon care for each other. He say da we mon not do it just because we suppose to do it. But we mon do it because we love Jehovah and it part of our worship. Da Jehovah make the family. (Eph. 3:​14, 15) So when we respect our family member dem, then we showing respect to Jehovah, who make the family. (See study notes on 1 Timothy 5:4.) Ehn da important reason here to respect our family member dem?

9. How husband and wife can show respect for each other? (Also see the pictures.)

⁹ How we mon show respect? Any husband who respect his wife can show da she important to him, whether they by theirself or they around other people. (Prov. 31:28; 1 Pet. 3:7) He can’t beat her, make her shame or make her feel da she nothing. One brother living in Argentina name Ariela say: “When my wife wor sick, sometime she use to say thing dem da use to hurt me. When it happen like da, I use to tell myself say she not mean it. I also use to think about 1 Corinthians 13:5. This Bible verse use to help me to not get vex and to treat her with respect.” (Prov. 19:11) The wife can respect her husband by talking good about him to other people. (Eph. 5:33) She can’t criticize him, make fun out of him or cuss him. She know da when she do it, it will spoil her marriage. (Prov. 14:1) One sister in Italy, husband suffering from some kindna sickness da can make him to worry too much. She say: “Sometime, I can feel da my husband worrying too much for nothing. So, the way I use to do my face and the thing dem I use to say, use to show da I vex and I not respect him. But going around people who can talk about other people with respect, really help me. This one encourage me to show my husband more respect.”

10. How young people can show da they respect their parents?

¹⁰ Young people, yor obey the rule dem da yor parents make for yor. (Eph. 6:​1-3) Show respect when you talking to your parents. (Ex. 21:17) When they getting old, da the more they will need your help. So do your best to take care of them. Let look at María example. Her pa not Jehovah Witness. When María pa get sick, he use to say thing dem da use to make her feel bad. So it make it hard for her to take care of him. She say: “I use to pray so da I can continue to show da I respect my pa. I tell myself say, if Jehovah say I mon respect my parents, da mean he know I able do it and he will help me to do it. All this one make me to see da I mon continue to respect my pa even if he not change his way.” When we respect our family member dem even if it hard to do, it will show da we respect Jehovah who make the family.

SHOW RESPECT FOR YOUR BROTHER AND SISTER DEM

11. Wetin can make it hard sometime to respect our brother or sister dem?

¹¹ Why it can be hard sometime? Our brother and sister dem trying their best to live by what the Bible say. But sometime, they can say or do thing dem da can hurt us or make us vex. When our bother or sister give us “cause for complaint,” sometime it can be hard for us to respect da person. (Col. 3:13) So wetin can help us to continue to respect them?

12. Why it important to show our brother and sister dem respect? (2 Peter 2:​9-12)

¹² Why we mon show respect? (Read 2 Peter 2:​9-12.) In the second letter da Peter write, he talk about some people in the congregation who not use to show respect when they talking about the “glorious ones.” This glorious ones da the elder dem. The angel dem see how this men dem wor not respecting the elder dem. So, wetin the angels do? Because they really respectful they not say anything bad to this men dem. Just think about it! This angel dem da get power more than human being, refuse to talk bad to this proud men dem. They just leave everything with Jehovah. (Rom. 14:​10-12; compare Jude 9.) What the lesson? If the angel dem continue to show this proud men dem respect, then it important for us to continue to respect our brother and sister dem who love Jehovah. In fact, we mon “always be the first” to show them respect. (Rom. 12:10) When we do it, we will show da we respect Jehovah.

13-14. How we can show da we respect the people in the congregation? Give examples. (Also see the pictures.)

¹³ How we mon show respect? When the elder dem teaching people, they mon try to do it with love. (Philem. 8, 9) When you giving counsel to people, be kind and don’t do it when you vex. Sister dem can help people in the congregation to respect each other by not talking bad or gossiping about other people. (Titus 2:​3-5) All of us can show da we respect the elder dem by following their direction. We can also tell them thank you for the hard work they can do to conduct meetings, to direct the preaching work, and to help people who na take “false step.”—Gal. 6:1; 1 Tim. 5:17.

¹⁴ One sister name Rocío say da it wor hard for her to respect one elder who give her advice. She say, “I wor vex because I wor feeling da he not do it with love. When I to my house, I use to talk bad about him. Even though I try to not show it, I wor feeling da he not care for me. So I not take his advice.” Wetin help Rocío? She say: “When I wor doing my Bible reading, I read 1 Thessalonians 5:​12, 13. This scripture help me to see da I wor not showing respect to this brother. So my conscience start beating me. I pray to Jehovah about it and do research to find information da can help me to change my way. Small, small, I get to know da I wor having big heart and the brother wor not the problem. I understand now da for me to respect people, I need to be humble. Even though I still working on my behavior, I know Jehovah happy with me because I trying my best to respect other people.”

SHOW RESPECT TO PEOPLE WHO NOT JEHOVAH WITNESS

15. Why it can be hard sometime to show respect to people who not Jehovah Witness?

¹⁵ Why it can be hard sometime? When we in field service, sometime we can see people who not get time for God business. (Eph. 4:18) Some people can’t want listen to our message because of what they learn when they wor growing up. Some of our workmate or schoolmate dem can act rude to us. And sometime our boss man or teacher dem can’t be happy with us because they not like our preaching work. When it continue like da, we can stop showing them respect and we can’t want be kind to them again.

16. Why it good to show respect to people who not serving Jehovah yet? (1 Peter 2:12; 3:15)

¹⁶ Why we mon show respect? Remember da Jehovah can also see the way we can treat people who not serving him yet. The apostle Peter remind the Christian dem da their good behavior can make people to want serve God. For da reason, he encourage them to explain their belief “with a mild temper and deep respect.” (Read 1 Peter 2:12; 3:15.) So, whether Christians explaining their beliefs in court or to their neighbor, they mon always show respect to everybody. In fact, Jehovah can be looking at us to hear what we will say and the way we will say it. Ehn da good reason here for us to show respect to people who not serving Jehovah?

17. How we can show respect to people who not Jehovah Witness?

¹⁷ How we mon show respect? When we in field service, we not want make people to think da we better pass them because they not know the Bible. But we want remember da they important to God and da we not better pass them. (Hag. 2:7; Phil. 2:3) If somebody say something bad about your belief, don’t pay your debt. For example, don’t make them vex by saying something da will make it look like you clever pass them. (1 Pet. 2:23) If you say something da you not suppose to say, tell them sorry quick-quick. How you can show respect for people to your working place? Be honest and hardworking. Also try to be good to the people you working with, and the people you working for. (Titus 2:​9, 10) To talk the true, everybody will not like you when you honest and hardworking, but you can be sure da Jehovah will really be happy with you.—Col. 3:​22, 23.

18. Why it good to show da we get respect for other people?

¹⁸ We get plenty good-good reasons to show da we respect people! We na learn da when we respect our family member dem, we showing respect for our family Head, Jehovah. Also, when we show respect for our brother and sister dem in the congregation, we showing da we respect our Father in heaven. And when we show respect for people who not Jehovah Witness yet, we making it easy for them to come serve Jehovah one day. Even if some people not show us respect, it good for us to continue to show them respect. Why? Because Jehovah promise da he will bless us. He say: “Those honoring me I will honor.”—1 Sam. 2:30.