> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://amemamem.com.br/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fear, Respect and Reverence - URL: https://amemamem.com.br/en/fear-respect-and-reverence/ - Published: 2025-07-09T23:07:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-09T01:04:19.000Z - Description: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10) “Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom.” (Job 28:28) - Author: Airton Humber - Tags: #en, #de-medo-respeito-e-temor Fear, Respect and Reverence: What these children are revealing to us ## 1\. A conversation at church During a simple conversation with three 12-year-old children, I heard a troubling sentence: “Nobody respects the teachers in our class.” It was said naturally. No anger, no pride. Just like someone describing the world as it is. Then, a second sentence, even more revealing: “But we respect the neighborhood leaders.” They respect whoever really is in charge. Whoever imposes authority by force. Whoever represents, for them, visible power. These children did not lose the ability to obey. They were only taught, by the example of the world around them, that legitimate authority is worth nothing anymore. They learned to respect those who can punish, not those who should teach. ## 2\. Fear: the instinct of survival Fear is obedience driven by risk. It is what makes someone keep quiet, run away or submit to avoid the worst. These children had already told me before that they were afraid of the neighborhood dominators. Today, they obey almost automatically. Fear has become culture. But this is not wisdom. It is only survival. ## 3\. Respect: when authority loses meaning Respect is born when we recognize that someone fulfills a legitimate role. A father, a teacher, a judge, should be figures who inspire listening and consideration. But when they fail repeatedly, or when they are demoralized by the structures above them, respect dissolves. And here we need to face an uncomfortable reality: in many cases, this erosion of legitimate authority has been encouraged by the State itself. Laws that invert roles. Official speeches that place family and school authority under suspicion. Ideological incentives that promote early autonomy disconnected from responsibility. Silencing of faith in schools. Valuing rebellion as a sign of intelligence. It is not an exaggeration. It is what is happening. ## 4\. Reverence: the forgotten awe The fear of the Lord is not fright. And it is not only respect. It is the reverence that is born from recognizing that God is holy, just, good, and present. > “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10) > > “Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom.” (Job 28:28) Reverence is what puts us in the right place. It is what begins true wisdom. It is what teaches limits, not by external imposition, but by inner conscience. ## 5\. The crisis goes far beyond the children What those children said only laid bare what has already spread among adults. Today in Brazil we live a deep crisis of authority. Discredited parents. Humiliated teachers. Politicians who command, but do not inspire. Pastors who speak, but many have lost spiritual authority. And the people, without direction, run after strong voices, not necessarily true ones. The consequence is visible: Obedience out of fear, not out of conviction. Speeches of freedom that only generate confusion. Shouts for rights, but no sense of duty. Many follow… but few know where. ## 6\. The fall of wisdom Studies show that the average IQ of the Brazilian population has been falling. But the most worrying thing is not the score on the tests. It is what this reveals: the loss of the ability to discern, to weigh, to understand reality. In other words, the loss of wisdom. And the Bible had already said: The fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom, it is wisdom itself. Without reverence, only opinion is left. Only noise is left. Only confusion is left. ## 7\. There is a light, and it begins in us Given this scenario, expecting children to discover on their own what the fear of the Lord is is unrealistic. They do not have this resource within themselves. They have no model. They have no soil. That is why they need to see it in us. In our firmness with grace. In our authority with humility. In our life that reveals a God who does not oppress, but transforms. The restoration of wisdom begins with the restoration of reverence. And reverence begins when the presence of God is recognized again. In homes. In churches. In society. May we be that light. Not to shine on a stage… But to light a firm, just path full of truth, for these children and for all who are adrift. > This reflection is not political. It is spiritual. It is a call to wisdom, which begins when the heart fears the Lord again.