Exodus 21:5-6 ” But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.”

Voluntary servanthood was common during Biblical times as a way to erase a debt that couldn’t be repaid. But on the seventh year, (The Year of Jubilee) freedom must be offered. But for some slaves, they voluntarily committed to willingly stay & serve their master for life. This public indication of an inward decision was done by the master with a sharp instrument used for piercing, called an awl. Sure, there’s an obvious correlation of this passage and our walk with the Lord, in that our required attachment and loyalty, commitment and dedication has to be to Him and Him alone. But this allegiance also applies to personal relationships such as to a spouse or parents. You might call it honoring well… for it’s a lifelong bond of love and gratitude for a debt that can never be repaid.