Loving Your Husband Well By Lisa JacobsonSample

Day Six

“I Respect You”

Scripture: Romans 12:10

My husband and I have a friend who could tell you nearly everything there is to know about cars. And what he doesn’t know, he can figure out. My husband, however, will be the first person to say he’s not really a car guy. At least not when it comes to fixing them or making repairs. 

But if you were curious about Winston Churchill? Or ancient archaeology? You could ask Matt, and he’d probably have an answer. He’s quite knowledgeable about such things. 

Both these guys are smart. Very smart. Just in different ways. 

Sometimes we’re quick to recognize the gifts or intelligence of that guy over there but neglect to tell the man we married how smart we find him. Maybe it’s easy for you to identify the way your guy excels, or perhaps you need to spend some time thinking about it—but be sure to say aloud how smart he is. And be as specific as you can. 

As we read in Romans 12, God calls us to honor each other as a way of being devoted in love. And your husband needs to know you respect him. I have to admit, although I’ve thought of that word—respect—a thousand times, it was just recently that it jumped out of my mouth in a conversation with Matt. I couldn’t help it. He was in the middle of a dicey situation, trying to help a married couple, and I’d been holding my breath the entire time, wondering how the whole thing was going to turn out. I knew how volatile this couple could be when they were upset or didn’t get their way—and they both were upset and hadn’t gotten their way in this situation. 

But Matt kept his cool—certainly more than I could have in the circumstance—and spoke graciously yet clearly. 

I watched him with such admiration and realized my heart was brimming with respect. Not just love, mind you, but honest-to-goodness respect. 

And so I told him straight out, “I have such great respect for you.” 

You should have seen his face! You’d have thought he’d won the lottery. 

But all he’d won was his wife’s respect.

And he needed to hear it.

So does your husband. Don’t settle for thinking the thoughts. Say the words. 

What do you respect most about your husband? When could you tell him that?