Honor. Sometimes just saying the word makes my mouth feel heavy. But it’s not because the letters H-O-N-O-R weigh any more than S-I-L-L-Y. I mean, that would be just…silly! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.) It’s not the ink in the black letters printed on a piece of paper or the breath pushed through my vocal tract that contains a single microgram more than any other five-letter word. (But if you happen to know anyone who has done research on this, send their work my way. Remember, I do tend to geek out on this stuff.) So, it’s not the breath, the formation of the letters, the type of letters, or the ink that’s weighty. It’s the idea. 

Honor seems to be one of those things that has changed meaning over the centuries. Entering the English language from Latin through French, it originally meant “glory, renown, fame earned.” About a century later, it seems to have morphed into “paying respect to, a mark of rank, a cause of good reputation,” which is probably why it came to be closely linked to purity—especially women’s —around the 1400’s. By the time Middle English was in high gear, the word honor could also mean “splendor, beauty, excellence.” 

So, what does that mean for us today? Does honor still mean something beautiful and excellent, maybe even stunning and breath-takingly awesome? Do we even take the time to really think or talk about honor anymore? A quick look at the historical word use chart says that ever since the 1960’s we use this word less than the generations that came before us. Does that mean it’s any less important? 

Well, taking a look at the Bible, the answer is a resounding NO. Honor is VERY important to God. Verses like 1 Peter 2:17 say “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” Honor ALL people. All people. Honor them all. God takes honor very seriously. 

Does honor mean that we lack accountability and let wrongdoing go rampant? Absolutely not. In my opinion, that would be dishonoring other people and certainly dishonoring God and His precious blood.  

Honor goes deep. It goes straight to the deepest parts of our souls and demands that we lay aside our wants and our flesh to stand firm in love because God’s kind of honor is rooted in love (see Romans 12:10). Does this influence the way I talk about other people? You betcha. Does this influence my choices? Oh, yes. Will my life revolve around others all the time. SCREECH! Yep, stop right there. 

Causing my life to revolve around someone else’s isn’t honoring them. It might be enabling them, but it certainly isn’t honoring them. Our lives should revolve around Christ. Period. He is the focal point and sets the priorities in our lives from there. Spouse, children, jobs, ministry, household duties. If I allow my life to revolve around someone else’s, am I empowering them to be all that God created them to be or am I enabling them to stay stuck wherever they are in life at this moment? Ouch! Honoring others will always influence our talk to them and about them for the good, but it does not negate the need for accountability and boundaries.  

Honor is always rooted in love and comes out of the core of who we are and true honor will hold the delicate balance of life in proper order. Is this hard? I’d say impossible. Impossible on our own, but totally possible through the Holy Spirit in us. So, let’s take up the honor challenge, lean into the Holy Spirit, and watch Him do the heavy lifting on developing this very weighty character trait in our lives. 
 

Harper, Douglas. “Honor.” Online Etymology Dictionary. 2025, https://www.etymonline.com/word/honor. Accessed 26 June 2025.