I’m taking a break from our trip recap today for the Blog Book Study of Gary Thomas’s book, Sacred Marriage. Jenn at Knee-Deep in Munchkin Land is hosting the link-up, so head on over there to see what others have to say about Chapter 4.
If you’d like to catch up, here are my thoughts on previous chapters.
Chapter 4: Holy Honor: Marriage Teaches Us to Respect Others
Gary spent most of this chapter helping us realize that while we think our spouses are so imperfect, we are just as broken and messed up. For real.
He reminds us that while we all have a desire to be respected, our calling as Christians is to give respect. We do not “deserve” it. We are not “entitled” to it. We are called to learn to respect someone we know everything about. Whether or not they respect us back. Boom.
Gary says,
It is guaranteed that your spouse will sin against you, disappoint you, and have physical limitations that will frustrate and sadden you….This is a fallen world. Let me repeat this: You will never find a spouse who is not affected in some way by the reality of the Fall. If you can’t respect this spouse because she is prone to certain weaknesses, you will never be able to respect any spouse.
Nobody’s perfect. But if you allow those imperfections to drive you crazy, you lose respect for the person you should have the most respect for. And when you know exactly what someone will say/do in certain instances, it can become a challenge.
Respect is a huge issue in marriage. I realized a while ago that it was my job to teach our kids to respect their Daddy. And the best way to start was to respect him myself. There are times I fail. Miserably. But if I come back to the driving point that God has called me to respect my husband, it requires me to check my attitude. And adjust it. (Then repeat.)
If you are interested in learning more about respect in marriage, a book that deals with it in great detail is Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs.
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