Again, I apologize for missing the last few days. Let's keep this rolling, though. It's good stuff!
Love is Honorable
The authors of The Love Dare really hit on something that is difficult within many marriages in our culture today: honor. 1 Peter 3:17 instructs us to "live with your wives in an understanding way... and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life." This instruction is not just for husbands towards their wives, but for any man or woman towards their spouse. It's reciprocal.
What does it mean to honor someone? I immediately think of someone of royalty or the Scripture that instructs us to honor our parents. But when we honor our mate, its the little things that go a long way. When your pouse wants to talk, do you put aside the magazine or newspaper? Do you turn off the TV? Do you take what your spouse says seriously? Is your language clean, courteous and polite?
Honoring your spouse also contains within it the concept of recognizing that he/she is holy. We often hear a marriage as being described as holy matrimony. The authors of The Love Dare write, "This means no other person in the whole world is supposed to enjoy this level of commitment and endearment from you." I can't help but think that many men and women in our community are sharing this level of commitment and endearment to other things and people like jobs, hobbies and friends.
"How can I honor my spouse when he/she doesn't honor me?" you may ask. It may be difficult, but we are called to honor our mate no matter what - even when it's rejected. We must make the decision to stand and say, "With all your failures, sins, mistakes, and faults - past and present - I still choose to love and honor you." This is what leading your heart into true love looks like.
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