"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecterof persons." Acts 10:34It's not that God respects no one, it's that Ge loves and respects all His children equally.And we are taught by scripture to emulate that philosophy and behavior. But as is the case with loving our enemies many seem to find endless reasons to invent exceptions to that teaching.In other cultures respect is an imperative rather than a choice.In Hawaii for example I spent 4 years adjusting to a completely different culture. One in which respect was crucial.I have been asked by Hawaiians how I survived in the rough neighborhood I lived in. And my answer was that I showed respect to everyone I met even when I was being disrespected. I avoided many conflicts by simply showing respect. I could have been beaten several times but I was respectful and it saved me many times over and endeared me to plenty of folks as well.Respect is what makes a stranger feel welcomed. It's what allows people to feel understood. Respect can be a key building block in building bridges.Jesus showed respect to the adulteress whose life He saved, He did not mistreat or disrespect a woman who was treated like trash by her neighbors.Respect also displays value for those to whom respect is shown. And Jesus made an adulteress feel valued, and feel worthy of love and respect when no one else did.Showing respect also commands respect. In our culture and especially on social media respect is sorely lacking and the more disrespectful people and their words are the more attention they get.Respect shows class I think. And the more respect we show even when we may have cause to lose our cool, the higher the road we take.Maybe our claims to being Christ's disciples would be taken more seriously if we showed the same love and respect to all of Gods children as we do to the select few we feel have earned our respect. We would do well to show the same love and respect to all God's children as a reflection of our love of God.