Honor in Marriage
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What does honor look like in a couple’s daily life? It means waking up in the morning and deciding that our mate is the most valuable person on earth to us. It is deciding that we will look after our mate's needs before we worry about ours. Honoring our mate on a daily level is all about priority.
These four elements are what make honor possible for a couple. They are the driving force to a healthier, more exciting marriage.
- Treat Your Spouse With Care
I collect antiques and have learned that they require cautious and tender handling because of how precious and valuable they are. In a similar way, we are to treat our spouse tenderly. Tender in the way that we speak to them. Tender in the way that we look after them. Tender in the way that we speak about them to others. When we do so, we are showing honor to the one we value the most.
- Value their unique qualities
It can be easy to get frustrated with what our spouse doesn’t do well. In fact, we can create a running list in our mind of the things that we wish they would do better.
Instead, make the concerted effort to focus on what they do well. Tell them the good things that you see. Reaffirm to them what you believe they can do and accomplish. Recognize the things that they can do better than you.
- Look to their interests
In a dishonoring marriage, spouses look to their own interests. They’re fighting for control. They are maneuvering to have the best for themselves. We should honor one another above ourselves. That means having an attitude that seeks the best first for our spouse. A simple question to ask yourself is, “Am I looking out for myself in this situation, or am I considering what’s best for my spouse?”
- Make an Active Commitment to Your Marriage
To honor means to assign a value to something.
When I don’t make time to spend with my husband or I don’t participate in conversations or listen to him, in essence, I’m expressing to my husband that his needs are not important to me and that whatever I’m doing instead is more important than him.
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