David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” _1 Samuel 25:13
Dwight L. Moody, one of the most famous evangelists of all times should have been known as Ryther. Moody’s son, W.R. Moody writes about it his biography of his father, The Life of Dwight L. Moody.
Moody writes, Dwight Lyman, the sixth child, was born February 5, 1837. The old family record adds the name of Ryther, but this was early discarded. In those days it was customary for one who was complimented by the bestowal of his name upon a child to present a sheep to the baby in recognition of the honor his babyhood was innocently conferring. The feelings of the fond parents were wounded by the omission, in Dwight’s case, of the customary gift, and “Ryther” does not seem to appear again after its entry on the record of the births in the large family Bible.
Just think, but for a one single sheep, we could know Dwight L. Moody as Ryther L. Moody.
But really, it wasn’t the sheep, it was the perceived dishonor.
Remember, you may not see it, but every time you dishonor someone an invisible sword is drawn. In this case the sword cut out a name and put up a wall of offense between the Moody family and someone who had previously been so respected that they wanted to name their son after him.
That is the background behind David’s words (see above). Justified or not, David felt dishonored by Nabal’s response to his overture and but for the quick response of a very wise woman (See 1 Samuel 25) there would have been a lot of bloodshed and death.
The spirit of Nabal is still alive today.
Behind so much of the rudeness, anger, and violence of our day is the slow erosion of the art of honoring one another.
Honoring someone doesn’t mean that you necessarily agree with them, but you do respect their right to their opinion and their place in the ebb and flow of life.
At its core, honor says:
I see you.
You are of great worth.
And I acknowledge that.
Honor is so easy; all it requires is the humility and self-awareness that the world doesn’t revolve around you and that others may have an opinion and a place at the table too.
The ONE THING for today: Whether you see it or not, every time you dishonor someone an invisible sword is drawn.
The ONE THING 