Honoring Your Co-heir

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1 Peter 3:7

How do coaches, competitors, and sports officials demonstrate respect for each other? How is one’s experience in sport affected by such expressions of respect? How would a coach show proper respect for his or her spouse? How would that relationship be affected by consistent displays of genuine respect or honor?

The Apostle Peter wrote about such matters in chapter three, verse seven of his first letter to his friends. There it reads, “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature, yet showing them honor as co-heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” You may already be bristling at the thought of a wife having a weaker nature, but don’t let that throw you off course. 

Whether a coach is male or female, to consistently demonstrate respect, communicate honor, and treat your spouse as a co-heir of the grace of life as a coaching family is at the heart of a thriving relationship.

A life in coaching will certainly require a good deal of understanding from his or her spouse. The demands of time, the pressure to win, the emotional strain, and the layers of a relationship required for excellence are consuming for all concerned. To show proper honor to one’s spouse will not only enhance the relationship, but this scripture says it protects the effectiveness of our prayers.

Commit yourselves to be a coaching family that demonstrates the highest levels of respect and honor as you live together as co-heirs of the grace of life.

Questions for Contemplation and Discussion:

1.  How do the coaches, competitors, and sports officials you know demonstrate respect for each other? How well do they show respect for and honor their spouses?

2.  What are your favorite ways to express honor for your spouse? How does he or she respond to them?

3.  How will being a co-heir of the grace of life, with your spouse, shape your life of prayer and help you build a coaching family characterized by respect and honor?