Love & Respect

   Once a week I travel to my oldest daughter Sandy's home where we've started a "Book Study." The book that we are studying is called, "Love & Respect" and it was given to me years ago by two dear friends from Tennessee, Sherri Leiter and Emily Baker.

It's teachings are on how Women need to feel Loved AND Men need to feel that they are Respected. Sandy is engaged to a really nice guy and as her mother I want to help instruct her to have a "Good, Godly Marriage." Upon arrival we fix ourselves each a cup on tea. Sometimes it's Blueberry or Peach. The last study we had Apple Cinnamon. It really doesn't really matter what flavor we are drinking, What really matters is that we get to spend a couple of hours a week studying God's Word to become better wives. :-)
   Last week we finished Chapter 3. A few things we've learned so far is that......You can be right but wrong at the top of your voice. We learned about Agape Love, which means to Love Unconditionally and Phileo Love, which is a Human, Brotherly Kind of Love. 💞
   Ephesians 5:33, Paul tells us that Husbands must love their wives as he loves himself, AND the wife MUST RESPECT her husband. The husband is to obey the command to love even if his wife does not
obey this command to respect, and a wife is to obey the command to respect even if the husband does not obey the command to love. There is no justification for a husband to say, "I will love my wife AFTER she respects me, nor for a wife to say, "I will respect my husband AFTER he loves me." When a husband feels disrespected, it is especially hard to love his wife. When a wife feels unloved, it is especially hard to respect her husband. When a husband feels disrespected, he has a natural tendency to react in ways that feel unloving to his wife. When a wife feels unloved, she has a natural tendency to react in ways that feel disrespectful to her husband. Without love, she reacts without respect AND Without respect, he reacts without love.The best way to love a husband is to show him respect in ways that are meaningful to him. Such respect lets him feel his wife's love for him and ignites in him feeling of love for his wife. Scientific research confirms that love and respect are the foundation of a successful marriage. A woman needs love just as she needs air to breathe. When a woman's spirit starts to deflate, it's usually because the husband is stepping on her air hose and she can't breath. She is crying out, "I feel unloved right now". That's when she goes through "PMS".....(Pre-Murder Syndrome. 😖 Wives also long to be FIRST in importance to their husbands. Just like the prince goes into battle for the princess. The princess does not seek to be respected as the "head." Instead she yearns to be honored, valued and prized as a precious equal, "a fellow heir of the grace of life". The husband is first called upon to provide, to protect.....and even to die if necessary. When a husband honors his wife first in importance and she respects him as first among equals, their marriage is Blessed.