For the month of January I wanted to learn more about marriage and being a Godly wife. For those of you who don't remember, one of my 2012 resolutions was to research one topic a month...you can read that blog post by clicking here.
A couple days ago I finished reading "Love & Respect" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. I enjoyed this book, but didn't completely love Emerson's writing style. If I had to you tell what I thought about this book in one word it would be overrated. This is a book that tons of Christian couples have read and recommended, and I have even been told by multiple couples that it was this book that was the curriculum for their pre-marital counseling.
The whole book is centered on Ephesians 5:33 where Paul writes "Each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband". The book talks about how women have a huge desire to feel loved by their husbands, and men desire respect from their wives. The book goes even further to say that husbands should give their wives "unconditional love" and wives should give their husbands "unconditional respect".
Unconditional love...we have heard the term, read the term, and seen the term a million times in books, ads, and chick flicks. But unconditional respect...sounds weird. Isn't respect something that we have to earn? Emerson says no. I agree and disagree.
I agree that many women are too overbearing, bossy, and disrespectful to their husbands. But if my husband was some low-life, wife-beating, cheating jackwagon then he ain't getting no respect from me! Good thing Brady is amazing and nearly perfect =)
The words unconditional respect sound like an oxymoron to me...but maybe I am wrong, and it just sounds weird because this isn't ever a term we hear in society. But right there in Ephesians 5:33 God clearly states that a wife must respect her husband. Period. That's it. It doesn't say respect your husband only when he deserves it. If God says it then it has to be right...so I have a lot of work to do in this "must respect my husband areana". Good thing the only person I must respect is Brady...and my elders...is that in the Bible?
Sometimes...okay pretty much all the time...it can be difficult being a respectful wife in America. We see TV shows that completely disrespect men as fathers and husbands...think Homer Simpson. And there are many men who aren't fulfilling their roles as spiritual leaders in their homes, instead they go to the office and work 40, 50, 60+ hour work weeks and then come home and don't connect at all with their wife or kids. Women only fuel this fire because we live in a country of overbearing feminists who have their own money, have their own job, their own friends, and their own life. God calls us to be united as one in marriage. This means one bank account, one house, one bed, one heart, and one sex partner.
God never makes mistakes, His ways are never wrong. In fact, His ways are always perfect. So join Brady and I as we strive to have a marriage that makes God smile every day.
Back to the book though...I liked it, didn't love it. I would check it out from the library but not buy it...but if you do want to buy it, then just click on the picture of the book above and it will take you to amazon where you can purchase it new or used.
I have started reading Mark and Grace Driscoll's new book "Real Marriage," so expect a review of that in a few days. And at the end of the month I will recap all I have learned about marriage!
Thanks for reading and sorry I kinda jumped around!
A couple days ago I finished reading "Love & Respect" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. I enjoyed this book, but didn't completely love Emerson's writing style. If I had to you tell what I thought about this book in one word it would be overrated. This is a book that tons of Christian couples have read and recommended, and I have even been told by multiple couples that it was this book that was the curriculum for their pre-marital counseling.
The whole book is centered on Ephesians 5:33 where Paul writes "Each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband". The book talks about how women have a huge desire to feel loved by their husbands, and men desire respect from their wives. The book goes even further to say that husbands should give their wives "unconditional love" and wives should give their husbands "unconditional respect".
Unconditional love...we have heard the term, read the term, and seen the term a million times in books, ads, and chick flicks. But unconditional respect...sounds weird. Isn't respect something that we have to earn? Emerson says no. I agree and disagree.
I agree that many women are too overbearing, bossy, and disrespectful to their husbands. But if my husband was some low-life, wife-beating, cheating jackwagon then he ain't getting no respect from me! Good thing Brady is amazing and nearly perfect =)
The words unconditional respect sound like an oxymoron to me...but maybe I am wrong, and it just sounds weird because this isn't ever a term we hear in society. But right there in Ephesians 5:33 God clearly states that a wife must respect her husband. Period. That's it. It doesn't say respect your husband only when he deserves it. If God says it then it has to be right...so I have a lot of work to do in this "must respect my husband areana". Good thing the only person I must respect is Brady...and my elders...is that in the Bible?
Sometimes...okay pretty much all the time...it can be difficult being a respectful wife in America. We see TV shows that completely disrespect men as fathers and husbands...think Homer Simpson. And there are many men who aren't fulfilling their roles as spiritual leaders in their homes, instead they go to the office and work 40, 50, 60+ hour work weeks and then come home and don't connect at all with their wife or kids. Women only fuel this fire because we live in a country of overbearing feminists who have their own money, have their own job, their own friends, and their own life. God calls us to be united as one in marriage. This means one bank account, one house, one bed, one heart, and one sex partner.
God never makes mistakes, His ways are never wrong. In fact, His ways are always perfect. So join Brady and I as we strive to have a marriage that makes God smile every day.
Back to the book though...I liked it, didn't love it. I would check it out from the library but not buy it...but if you do want to buy it, then just click on the picture of the book above and it will take you to amazon where you can purchase it new or used.
I have started reading Mark and Grace Driscoll's new book "Real Marriage," so expect a review of that in a few days. And at the end of the month I will recap all I have learned about marriage!
Thanks for reading and sorry I kinda jumped around!
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