A Prophet Hath No Honor...


Have you ever tried to teach your wife to drive?

How about passing on some of those priceless nuggets of wisdom accumulated from your decades of experience to your teenager. Which one of these is more likely:

"Gosh, Dad, that was great! What else do you have for me today!"

OR

A heavy sigh, rolling eyes and a glazed stare out the window.

Since I've been posting in this forum I've noticed the feedback has been something like, "Wow, Russ. You really have your stuff together. Thanks for sharing!"

When I tell the exact same things to my own students, family and close friends, it's like, "WHATEVER!"

So I guess the ancient wisdom is true, "A prophet hath no honor in his own country". (John 4:44)

Is this necessarily a bad thing? Before you get yourself bent out of shape, think about WHY this is so.

It's not that the people who know you are REJECTING you, or are not listening to you. I know for a fact that a lot of what I tell my students is taken close to heart, whether or not they show it.

The truth is that those closest to you ACCEPT YOU AS ONE OF THEM! While others outside of your immediate circle may 'OOOHH' and 'AAAAHH' at your perceived wisdom (translate: bring you honor), I think your loved ones actually bring you more honor by accepting you just as you are as one of their own.

And to me, this is a good thing.