Laura and I just finished a Honor and Shame class. It was eye-opening. Our teacher, George Walker, taught us that in many cultures around the world, honor and shame in society is a way bigger deal than it is in our individualistic American culture. America is considered a strongly “guilt/innocence” culture vs a “shame/honor” culture. In many countries, people care far more about the honor or shame an action brings rather than if the action is necessarily right or wrong. Better to be wrong and maintain honor than to be right and shamed. Shame is tied very closely with identity: who they are as individuals and how much worth they have. Many people live believing that they have no worth and no way to get away from this shame of who they are as shown by their actions. We need to understand the importance of honor and shame if we expect to minister effectively in those countries.

As human beings, we are created with a desire to be honored/to have worth and we often look for acceptance in the wrong places. But this is a God given thing; God desires to give us the honor/glory that we have lost in the fall. George took us on a journey through God’s Word and showed us how large of a role honor has in Scripture. It was incredible! I feel like the gospel shines brighter and clearer than it did before. At Creation, Man was placed in a position of honor with responsibility, a relationship with God but, when he chose to disobey God, that honor was lost and humanity was cast into shame.  We still crave honor, acceptance and a sense of worthiness but we grasp for it in warped and destructive ways, apart from God’s original design.

We learned that the same word in Greek, timḗ, meant “worth, price, value,” as well as “honor.”; often referring to a person’s worth in society…“the value of a person in his own eyes, but also in the eyes of his society.” George reminded us of how the Lord Jesus challenged religious leaders of His day that such seeking after honor from one’s fellowman can actually hinder one’s relationship with God: He said, “How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God” (John 5:44).

We as believers need to understand that God has glorified us and given us honor by making us His children. By living a life worthy of honor, we bring honor to Him. Our motivation for doing good/for being praised should be to reflect it all back to Him. There is so much more that could be said on this but here is just a taste of all that God is teaching us here. Keep us in your prayers!