Photo by Lotte Meijer on Unsplash
Tonight is our marriage community group, one of my favorite nights of the week. We are going through Gary Thomas’ book, Cherish, and learning so much. This week’s focus is on honoring your spouse.
Honor. It’s not a word we use very often when it comes to marriage, but we should. It is the highest form of respect and esteem.
Dr. John Gottman is quoted in Gary’s book as saying, “Without honor, all the marriage skills one can learn won’t work.”
So I must ask the question. Do you honor your spouse?
You may not have a clear answer to that question. Especially if you have not taken the time to ask your spouse, “In what ways do I show you honor?”
I encourage you to ask. You may be surprised to hear what being honored is to you, is completely different then what being honored is to your spouse. This is why it is imperative that we ask.
Once you listen to their answers (with your ears and eyes), make it your goal this week to honor them in a variety of ways. Be specific. Be genuine. And most of all, be kind.
Here are 13 ways we can honor our spouse:
- Noticing anything they do with gratitude.
- Giving your spouse your full attention when they are talking to you or others.
- How they appreciate the efforts of others.
- Their diligence in completing a job.
- Their integrity.
- Their financial faithfulness.
- Their pursuit of God and their growth in godliness.
- How they sincerely love of others.
- How they refrain from using harsh words.
- Being punctual.
- Their servant’s heart.
- Their strong work ethic
- Speaking well of them in public.
It is a privilege to live so close to one person in this life. Honoring them makes the time we have together all the more precious.
The Romantic Vineyard 