Starting to Love and Respect

Happy Friday!
The marriage class that we lead on Wednesday nights is diving into the book/workbook Love and Respect (click for link) by Emerson Eggerichs.  We are so excited about this and would love to have anyone come and join us.  We meet at 6:30 each Wednesday night at Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN.  Room 201

Here are some of the points that we discussed about RESPECT and some words we associate with it when we think about it.




***fear; provider; security; honor; revere; have value; high regard; submission; boundaries; subjection; trust; authority; earn it



The point was made and likened respect to a fire. It only takes one burn for us to gain a very healthy respect for it. We love for it to warm us, cook for us, and provide light for us, but we also must honor it and have a respect for the boundaries that it sets.



The question was posed to the men and women of what they would rather have, love or respect. The premise of the book is centered around Ephesians 5:33 that says that women need love, and men need respect, but it was cool to see the diversity of the group where we had some men admit that they'd rather have love if they had to choose, and women who said they'd rather have respect.



Here were some of the phrases that I got from the first chapter of the book that men have described to have felt disrespected…

"he felt like she could get along fine without him"

"he was made to feel insignificant as if he didn't matter"

"felt judged for failing to act in a certain way"

"unacceptable"

"using the words 'YOU NEED' to…"

"feeling put down by the demeanor of tone"

"acting as if she were my mom"

"constantly criticizing, complaining…not good enough"

Men, ask your bride if she feels like you show her love, and women, ask your man if he feels respected by you. If the answer is "yes", go one step further and give an example to one another of why you feel or don't feel this way.

Happy Weekend!!