RESPECTING RESPECT

“David, I thought I could trust you of all people!”

These words have rung in my ears since the first grade. Mrs. MacMurray was my first school teacher and I loved her. All I wanted to do was please her and be her classroom helper. To be selected to lead the class to lunch, or to clean the erasers outside, or to hand out announcement sheets was my dream. I wanted to be trusted! But my dreams crashed one normal afternoon.

Mrs. MacMurray needed to step out of the classroom for a few minutes. She told the class to sit quietly and to put our heads on our desk. She put on the record of the Little Red Train (my personal favorite), and said that the teacher from next door would be checking on us. If anyone was making noise or moving around they would be in big trouble.

For a while, things were peaceful. Then, some of the bigger boys started throwing wads of paper at each other. Soon, they were sneaking around the room and even standing on Mrs. MacMurray’s chair. In the middle of the mutiny, my own kidney’s revolted and demanded that I go to the restroom immediately. Squirming in the chair led to standing up for better control. That’s when the teacher from next door came in.

Numbered with the transgressors and brought to the other classroom, I was made to stand in front with the guilty mutineers. A bit later, Mrs. MacMurray returned and took us to the hall. I was miserable inside and out. That’s when she told me that she was disappointed in me and gave me a note to take to my parents. Nothing could make me feel worse than I did at that moment.

My parents had taught me to respect authority. It is a Biblical principle that is sorely missing in America today. This attitude can lead to anarchy, a state of disorder due to the absence or non-recognition of authority. Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Somalia are contemporary examples of nations in anarchy. The Bible gives us clear instructions in 1Peter 2:17, “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of Believers, fear God, honor the king.”

Go ahead world, make Mrs. MacMurray proud of you!