Reading: Ephesians 5:33, Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
Wait a minute! Before pointing a finger, today’s passage instructs both husbands and wives to respond to one another in a prescribed way. As men we long to receive respect but do we just as earnestly long to demonstrate love to our wife?
The mixture of love and respect means ministering to your partner through listening, a loving embrace, a flexible mind and attitude and a gracious spirit. It means looking past faults and differences and seeing strengths and similarities. It means sharing concerns together instead of trying to carry the load yourself.
Just a couple questions that meddle a bit:
1) In a tense situation, do I cut off my wife when she holds a view different than mine?
2) When I think someone is wrong, do I become offensive and harsh trying to put them in their place?
3) In trying to get a point across, am I gently persuasive or opinionated and demanding?
4) Am I driven so much by the need to be right that I try to pressure others?
5) Do I intimidate my wife or children?
As my mentor once said, “Respect happens when we learn to practice careful listening rather than threatened opposition, encouragement rather than intimidation.”
Challenge: Make a point to listen to others today.
REVIEW
Were you able to be a good listener today?
How did this impact others and your relationship with them?
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